Light Shining Through a Cavern
by Vine Sliver
Summary: M'Dargo is a vampire Khajiit that was exiled from Elsweyr. He struggles to survive while controling his vampiric nature. Chirranirr is a tavern server who is fed up with her life and heads out on her own. Sparks will fly when these two collide. R/R!
1. Prejudice and Pride

**A/N: I'm going to try my hand at writing my first video game fan fic. I have Oblivion and play it a lot. It's so addicting. One character I created is a khajiit and a vampire. I thought it would be interesting to write about how he would survive. People are racists and look down on khajiit, being a vampire would make him a total outcast from society. Besides, I've always wanted to write a story of a badass hero story and what is more badass than a cat person who is also a vampire. If I get anything wrong about Cyrodiil, please tell me. I've only had the game for two months and I got most of my info about khajiit off of the internet. I do not own Oblivion or any of the other Elder Scroll games. M'Dargo and Chirranirr are my own creation though, now onto the story.**

M'Dargo walked through the thick underbrush that lined the hills he was climbing. He was tired. His light speckled tail drooped and he dragged it along the ground. It was the middle of the night and the moon was high in the sky. M'Dargo looked up at the moon. It was full, just like the time his life was changed forever. He looked down from the moon and focused on his footing. M'Dargo didn't want to bring any painful memories back to light. Like all khajiit, M'Dargo had amazing night vision. Others could only hope to mimic it by using potions that wore off all too quickly. M'Dargo checked his map. He was in the Nibenay Valley and was approaching the Panther River. He grinned at the irony, revealing his very large canine teeth, even for a khajiit.

"I should be able to find some old fort to camp out the day in," he said to himself in a thick accent. If he was caught in the sun, it would be very bad. M'Dargo adjusted the bow and arrows strapped to his back and made sure that he still had his dagger. It was a gift from his father, all he had left to remember him by. He sighed, he could still remember his father's laugh and how he used to always play with him and his siblings after he got back from harvesting moon sugar. The last time M'Dargo had seen his father his throat was ripped out and a figure was bent over him. M'Dargo's thoughts were wrenched from the past when he heard a scream.

"Damn," he muttered to himself as he ran forward, getting his clothes caught in branches and cut by thorns. _I really need to get myself some sort of armor or something._ M'Dargo burst out of the trees and came to a halt at the top of the hill. Several argonian bandits had surrounded an imperial woman on horseback. M'Dargo could detect five of them surrounding her, giving off a faint blue essence that could be easily detected. The woman tried to escape, but one of the argonians threw her off her horse with a cruel laugh. The horse whinnied and reared up, and the woman narrowly avoided being crushed by its hooves. The leader wore some heavy iron armor and had a long sword on his back. He walked forward and picked the woman off the ground roughly.

"What is it that we have here, an imperial wench?" The woman's hair was tussled and messed up and fear was evident in her face though she tried to hide it with anger.

"Listen here lizard scum!" she shouted with indignity. "My father is captain of the guard in Leyawiin and if anything were to happen to me-" The leader shook her hard and threw to the ground so he could tower over her.

"Listen to me wench. Your precious guard of a father isn't here." He leaned in real close and his forked tongue flew out as spoke. "Me and my friends here have been so lonely without a feminine touch for quite a while. You'll provide plenty of amusement for all of us." The other argonians laughed. One of them spoke up.

"I want to go first!"

"No way, you went first when we found the forest elf last time!" Arguing broke out amongst them about who would get to rape her first.

"By the time you're done, they're always beaten and unconscious. It's no fun if they don't scream and beg." M'Dargo crouched down and waited for his opening. He couldn't let them rape her. Those conniving, wretched reptiles wouldn't get away with it this time. M'Dargo's red eyes appeared to almost glow in the darkness. A gentle breeze blew across the trees and muffled the rest of their argument.

"I'm just saying-… two of us-… more than one way-… good time." During their bickering M'Dargo slowly crept down the hill and took up position behind a tree. He glanced from behind it. The argonians seemed to have finally come to some sort of agreement for they were silent. The leader picked up the woman roughly by the throat.

"I'm going first, you dirty slut," the lizard man hissed into her ear. The woman gave a cry of fear and shuddered. M'Dargo couldn't delay it any longer. Conflict was inevitable. M'Dargo stepped out from behind the tree firmly.

"Stop right there." The argonian looked up from the struggling woman. He smiled and all of his filthy razor sharp teeth were shown.

"Well it looks like we have a flea bitten mongrel trying to join the party boys!" The rest of the bandits laughed and jeered at M'Dargo; flicking out their tongues and spitting. The argonian looked thoughtful for a moment. "Tell you what," he said as he ran a scaled finger along the woman's head, "We'll throw you any leftover scraps when we're done with her. How does that sound kitty?" A small grin appeared across M'Dargo's face.

"I think we might have some sort of… disagreement you worthless piece of swamp scum. I'm not letting you do anything to this woman. You're going to leave her here than all of us can go on our merry way." The argonian gripped the hilt of his sword firmly and the other bandits did likewise with their weapons.

"I don't think you know who you're messing with puss." M'Dargo looked down and sighed.

"I don't think you know who you're messing with either." M'Dargo spread his legs apart and flexed his tail for balance. The first argonian ran up swinging a large iron battle axe. M'Dargo ducked the first swing quickly and it's follow through. The argonian's face displayed great surprise at the khajiit's agility. _He'll know soon enough, _M'Dargo thought bitterly. With a feral snarl, he kicked out the argonian's legs and quickly disarmed his opponent. The axe flew out the argonian's hands and landed solidly into the ground with a thud. The argonian began to back off hurriedly but was stopped by a firm paw. Claws were unsheathed and a strong swipe sent the bandit to the ground, blood flowing from the wound and staining the ground.

M'Dargo's nostrils twitched at the smell and realization hit him like a horse. "Dammit! I'm getting carried away. If this keeps up I won't be able to control myself," he muttered to himself. M'Dargo forced his gaze away from the bleeding argonian and tried to focus on his three remaining opponents. Wait! Only three! The next thing M'Dargo knew he was pinned to a tree roaring in agony. Protruding out his shoulder was an arrow. What was worse, the bow was enchanted and the arrow blasted M'Dargo with fire. It was as bad as sunlight and M'Dargo struggled to free himself as his clothes were singed black.

"It looks the poor little pussy cat doesn't like fire," cackled a voice. M'Dargo looked up and one of the argonians. An archer had an arrow cocked in his bow and another held a conjured fireball in his hand. The bandit mage glared evilly. "I'm going to shove this down your throat khajiit!" The mage ran forward to where M'Dargo laid helpless pinned to the tree. He had only one chance. M'Dargo reached out with his hand and touched the argonian as he drew close to the tree. M'Dargo's arm glowed green. He used his Reign of Terror ability.

The argonian's fireball was extinguished, the mage effectively silenced. The mage stepped back with a cry of fear and ran off into the forest vanishing from sight. The leader walked forward as the archer continued to have his arrow trained onto M'Dargo's head. The leader unsheathed his steel long sword and stared at M'Dargo curiously.

"It seems that there is more to you than first meets the eye. You possess very interesting abilities and such ability and strength," he said as M'Dargo pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and snapped it in half. His breath came in ragged. The bow of embers had done its damage. "Your pale complexion, your eyes…" the argonian bandit leader stopped as realization dawned upon his face. He gripped his sword even tighter as his knuckles bulged from his scales. "I know what you are!" he declared. "Leech! Parasite!" he paused than pointed his sword directly at M'Dargo. "Vampire!" he spat out furiously.

M'Dargo flinched at the harsh accusation and tried to pass it off. A long time ago he would have acted the same way but not any more. He had to live with this disease, this curse: Porphyric Hemophilia, vampirism. It had changed him, he thought hollowly. It turned him into something that seemed to echo the former khajiit that he once was. M'Dargo fought against his newly found vampire nature and tried to make the best of his new abilities. M'Dargo bristled angrily at the three remaining argonians.

"Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I'm parasite! Take a good look at yourselves! You prey on the innocent people just like her," M'Dargo said as he gestured to the woman who was still petrified on the ground. "You're terrible hypocrites!" M'Dargo took a step forward, fury lending him the strength he needed. He growled and revealed his sharp canine teeth that had only been enhanced when he was taken by the disease. The leader of the bandits took a nervous step backwards and turned to his two underlings.

"What are two doing just standing there? Get him!" The two argonians ran forward. M'Dargo reached for his belt and unsheathed his dagger. This time he wouldn't be holding back. He would be going for blood. M'Dargo ran forward and the two forces collided. The furry of battle quickly overtook them. M'Dargo dodged the first assailant's swing of a sword and caught the flaming arrow of the archer with his bare hand. M'Dargo ran his dagger down the argonian's side twice and then punched him squarely in the face. He quickly brought out his bow and arrow and cocked his arrow and let it loose. The bandit screamed and convulsed as he tried to free himself from where the arrow pinned him.

The archer launched another arrow with his bow of embers. M'Dargo's supernatural like reflexes allowed him to whirl around and block it with his bow. The flame from the arrow lit up the stainless steel of M'Dargo's bow. The argonian archer licked his lips with his long tongue in concentration. "I'm going to skin you alive you wretched blood sucking fleabag!" The archer reached into his quiver and launched a volley of arrows. M'Dargo ducked as one flew into a tree with a flame where his head had been a moment before. He twisted to the side as three arrows narrowly missed his two arms and tail. The tree burst into flames from the combined flames of the arrows.

The fire illuminated the dark forest side. The light flickered and reflected off of M'Dargo's red eyes. M'Dargo bounded forward quickly, sending up leaves and grass in his wake. He brought his dagger out and it sliced and slashed through the argonian's light armor. The archer fell down with a cry. It was just him and the leader now. M'Dargo circled the bandit leader cautiously; the long sword had a greater reach than his dagger. M'Dargo looked down at his dagger. It was covered with blood that seemed to shine brilliantly from the firelight. He couldn't help himself. Besides he reasoned, he would have to clean it eventually. M'Dargo brought the dagger to his mouth and licked the dagger clean of blood.

The taste of the blood was rejuvenating and M'Dargo could feel some energy flowing back into his body. The argonian eyed him with disgust at the act.

"I'm going to put you out of your misery!" M'Dargo snorted.

"No thanks, I have a perfectly happy life, thank you very much. I just happened to have a different lifestyle than you. Is being a vampire really better than being a marauding bandit that rapes and murders women? At least I try to some good with my abilities, unlike you." The argonian spat angrily.

"What are you, a priest? Shut your trap so I can kill you!" M'Dargo let out a sigh of exasperation.

"So irritable…" The argonian leader ran forward with is his long sword in hand. His armor and green scales reflected the flickering light of burning trees. The bandit swung and M'Dargo was forced to duck. M'Dargo leapt back as the argonian sank his sword into the earth and quickly withdrew it. M'Dargo swung his dagger forward and tried to cut the argonian. The dagger bounced off harmlessly. The armor was too strong. The bandit laughed.

"You can't kill me," he taunted, a murderous glint in his eyes. M'Dargo paused.

"I've never been the kind of person to take a life likely, especially someone else's." M'Dargo closed his eyes and concentrated. The bandit leader ran forward. M'Dargo could hear his panting breath and the crunch of his boots on the ground with his heightened senses. As the argonian reached the point where his sword could reach him, M'Dargo opened his eyes. They glowed as he pointed his hand at the bandit and used his Eye of Fear power. The bandit froze in his tracks. His reptilian face was covered in fear. He hastily sheathed his sword with a cry.

"Retreat, everyone get out of here!" The argonian continued to shout as he ran off through the woods. M'Dargo fell to his knees, his dagger slipping out of his hand and hitting the ground. M'Dargo looked around. The three argonian bandits were on the ground. He looked closer. He could see the tell tale sign of their chests lifting with each breath. They were still alive. M'Dargo put his head in his hands and massaged his head. He was able to control himself this time he thought happily. He reigned in his urges.

M'Dargo felt exhausted but empowered. He was getting better at keeping control of his vampire nature. The first weeks of his new life had been violent and uncontrollable. He shuddered at the memories of what he had done before he was able to stop himself.

_M'Dargo lay in the countryside at a barn, unmoving. The barn was silent. The barn had been burned down during the struggle. Now it's blacken hull had smoke slowly rising up into the rising sky. M'Dargo stirred as sunlight slowly came over his face, illuminating his matted blood soaked muzzle. A bird landed nearby him and began to sing. M'Dargo's ears twitched. He moaned and slowly opened his eyes against the harsh light. He felt terrible. He struggled to sit up and the earth spun around him. It felt like the one time he and his friends had stolen some skooma and had used too much and passed out. _

_M'Dargo glanced around and his confusion turned to alarm when he saw the destruction of a barn beside him. His eyes widened in shock. "Who could have done this?" M'Dargo cautiously walked forward and began to sift through the wreckage. He froze when he saw a fur covered arm sticking out from underneath a large piece of blackened wood. M'Dargo lifted it up and saw the body of a khajiit. He stepped back in horror and tripped and fell to his knees. The khajiit's eyes were still open in terror. Bite marks could be seen on the throat. Blood soaked the khajiit's shirt. Memories from last night began to flood through M'Dargo's mind._

_ He was running like an animal. So hungry, so thirsty. Splintering the wood. Cries of terror. A male khajiit stood in front of his mate and cubs. The khajiit tossed aside. Jumping on the others. A lantern overturned. Carnage. Rip, tear, drink. Cries stopping. Full, content, sleepy._

_ M'Dargo slowly and hesitantly reached up to feel his muzzle. The dried blood confirmed that what happened last night was no dream or nightmare. "What have I done?" he asked himself softly with despair evident in his voice. His breath came in rapid gasps. "I'm a monster," he suddenly realized. "I killed an entire family last night." M'Dargo stood up and ran as far as he could from the scene of the barn. He ran as if he could outrun his inner demons._

M'Dargo's ear twitched as he heard the rustling. He glanced over. It wasn't any of the argonians; they were still unconscious. It was the imperial woman he had saved. She was getting her things together hurriedly and making her way to her horse, looking over her shoulder every couple of seconds. She froze when she saw M'Dargo watching her. M'Dargo slowly got to his feet.

"Are you alright Miss? Those lizards didn't hurt you, did they?" M'Dargo slowly began to walk towards her. "I tried to act as soon as I could but I had to find out how many of them there were and-" M'Dargo looked back up at the woman. She was trembling and holding a fireball suspended above her hand. It was clear that she wasn't very practiced at magic. The fireball kept on fluctuating, giving off different amounts of heat and light. M'Dargo had a sinking suspicion that was only confirmed when the woman drew back her arm. M'Dargo put up his hands in protest.

"Hey! I'm the one that just saved you and you're going to throw fire at-" M'Dargo ducked as a fireball flew where his head had been a moment before, igniting another tree on fire. M'Dargo quickly got back on his feet again. "Sweet Azurah! What the hell was that for?" The woman slowly backed up to her horse and grabbed the reins without taking her eyes off of him.

"Stay back vampire! I'm warning you. I might not look like it but I can put up a fght!" M'Dargo snorted.

"Yeah, you really put a great fight against all those bandits," he said sarcastically. "You definitley could have handled that on your own." The woman hurled another fireball at him and quickly mounted her horse. M'Dargo easily sidestepped the fireball and turned to look at the woman as she galloped forward into the night. "You're welcome!" he called after her. M'Dargo sighed. Cyrodiil was so different from Elsweyr. It wasn't just the climate; it was the people as well. There was one thing that was the same however: a terrible hatred of vampires. M'Dargo got up. In a few hours the sun would rise. He would either have to feed or find a place to hide out for the day. M'Dargo gave the argonian bandits a momentary glance and shuddered. Hiding out it was then. He walked off leaving the unconscious bandits behind.

* * *

"Chirranirr!" Chirranirr slammed the plate she was scrubbing into the sink with a loud crash. Her fur bristled, her tail twitched, and she bit back a snarl. She turned around and saw the owner of the inn, Andreas Draconis. He wore a blacksmith's apron even though Chirranirr had never seen him in a forge in her life. He wore leather shoes and steel dagger at his belt. The Drunken Dragon Inn usually had little business but recently it had been unusually busy. Chirranirr bit back a sharp remark before replying to him.

"Yes Master Draconis?" she said quietly looking down. She hated that he made her call him master. It was so humiliating! Even though slavery was outlawed it was just another way to discriminate against beast people. Draconis clapped his hands together.

"Hurry along then. We have a customer who ordered roasted boar an hour ago and he's getting restless. If he leaves I'm docking your pay!" Like that would be a drastic impact. Chirranirr was paid an outrageously low rate per day. At least she didn't have to pay for a room and had a roof over her head. She nodded before answering.

"Right away sir." Draconis walked out of the kitchen and returned to the dining room. Chirranirr sighed and called over to the other worker in the kitchen. "Numeen, how's that roasted boar coming along? Draconis says that the customer is getting restless." The argonian just rolled her eyes and checked on the boar roasting on the fire.

"Perfection can't be rushed. I tell Draconis that but he never listens. I'm using one of my own recipes to really spice it up." Chirranirr looked up from her dishes and laughed.

"The last time I tried one of your recipes and I was in bed for a week!" she teased. Numeen appeared to be offended, but Chirranirr knew she was just putting on an act.

"It wasn't a week!" Numeen protested loudly. She was silent for a moment, thinking. "It might have been for a day or two but it wasn't my fault." She pointed a scaled finger at Chirranirr. "You khajiit have such sensitive stomachs. You can only eat sweet things. You'd never survive in the Black Marsh."

"Hopefully you won't be proven right," Chirranirr said as she scrubbed a grease stain out of plate with a brush. Must people would have thought it extremely bizarre that the two of them were getting along. They were an argonian and a hajiit. There had always been tension between their two races. Along border towns between Elsweyr and the Black Marsh hate crimes flourished despite the city guards. This wasn't the case with Numeen and Chirranirr. They had worked at the inn for a couple of years and had become almost like sisters.

"I'm not paying you two wenches to gossip!" Draconis called from somewhere beyond the kitchen. Chirranirr dried her hands as she placed the plates away in the cupboards.

"You're barley paying us at all," she muttered under her breath. Numeen nodded as she to the boar off the fire and began to prepare it.

"One of these days that man is going get murdered for being such a pompous ass," Numeen said darkly sharpening the knives so she could cut up the boar. Chirranirr went over and began to help Numeen carve up the boar.

"But then where would work?" Numeen shrugged as she placed a slice of boar on a plate and sprinkled a questionable green spice on top of it.

"Anywhere is better than here. I came from the Black Marsh so I could get a better life. Not spend all my days slaving over a kitchen and getting hit on by drunken men." Chirranirr frowned as she saw how much spice Numeen was putting on the dish.

"Numeen…" Chirranirr hesitated and tried to find the right words. "Aren't you using a bit too much of that… stuff?" Numeen glanced up at Chirranirr and laughed at the worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry. I put on just enough." She handed the plate to Chirranirr. "Now serve it to the customer before Draconis has a heart attack." Chirranirr gave a weak laugh and carried out the roasted boar out to the dining room. The customer was a large solidly built nord who sat his table with his battle axe by his side. Chirranirr walked over to him and set the dish onto the table.

"Here you are sir." The nord just grunted and began to eat ravenously. Chirranirr turned around and began to walk back to the kitchen. The nord suddenly stopped eating. She glanced back for a moment and her eyes widened in alarm. The nord had turned a sickly green. He then proceeded to vomit up the roast boar that he had eaten. The nord warrior was on his knees retching until there was nothing left in his stomach. Everyone in the inn stopped what they were doing and stared. Chirranirr heard footsteps behind her and turned around. It was Numeen. Numeen's green skin had paled and she nervously wrung her hands. She met Chirranirr gaze.

"Maybe you were right about putting so much spice on the boar."

"Oh Numeen…" Chirranirr said softly as she shook her head. The nord slowly and uneasily got to his feet walked over to Andreas Draconis. The nord grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him several inches off the ground.

"What in the Gods names was that vile garbage that you just fed me? Is that how you treat your customers? I'm never staying here again and I'm telling all my friends not to as well. Good day." The nord put Draconis down and walked out the door. The door slammed shut. The atmosphere in the inn suddenly became silent and tense. Numeen took a step behind Chirranirr and grabbed her hand. Chirranirr squeezed Numeen's hand reassuringly. Draconis walked over them slowly, furry in his eyes. He gripped the hilt of his dagger so tightly his knuckles turned white. His teeth were gritted in anger.

"Whoever prepared that boar deserves a whipping. Now who did it?" Numeen's breath hitched up and became more rapid. Chirranirr could feel Numeen's hand begin to sweat. Numeen was opening her mouth when Chirranirr took a step forward and cut her off.

"I prepared that dish. It's my fault." Numeen gasped.

"Chirranirr…" Draconis pointed a finger at Chirranirr.

"This is the final straw you impetuous fur covered whelp you're-" Chirranirr took off her apron and threw it over Draconis's head.

"It's too late for that." She smiled and showed off her sharp teeth. "I'm tired of working for such a selfless bastard. I quit!" A gasp went up through the dining room. "I'm getting my things and then I'm leaving." Chirranirr walked out of the room and was followed by Numeen. Chirranirr went to her room and began packing her things. Numeen came up from behind and gave Chirranirr a hug.

"You shouldn't have done that you fool! Why did you take the blame for me? Chirranirr shrugged.

"I'm not about to let my best friend get in trouble. What kind of friend would I be?" Chirranirr could feel wetness on the back of her net as Numeen began to cry.

"Best friend?" Chirranirr nodded.

"Of course you are, silly. Who was it that helped me get this job? Who was it that's been helping me this past two years? That was you. Besides, I've been looking for an excuse to quit this awful job. I get absolutely no respect here." Numeen laughed weakly through her tears.

"I don't know about that. You put on quite spectacle out there." Chirranirr laughed.

"I guess I did. Damn, that felt really good." Chirranirr picked up her things.

"Where will you go?" Numeen asked her. She sighed.

"I don't really know, anywhere but here. I'm just going to set out and see what happens. I'll write to you as soon as I get settled." She walked over and gave Numeen another hug.

"Good-bye Numeen," she said, tears threatening to spill.

"Good-bye Chirranirr, may the Gods bless you," Numeen said warmly. Chirranirr opened the door and set out and began walking north and hopefully to a new start in life.

**A/N: That's the end of the first chapter. Please tell me what you think. How was that background? Am I staying true to the game? Please read and review to let me know! I'm also open to any suggestions people might have so speak up. The next chapter I'll have Chirranirr and M'Dargo meet and I'll take it from there. Will there be love? Will they find a cure for M'Dargo's vampirism? Will a secret crime organization be stopped? I'm not sure I'm just messing around with ideas. I have had this chapter finished for a while but was looking for a beta reader. I haven't found one yet. If you're interested please PM me.**


	2. A Meeting in a Cave

**A/N: As of this moment this story has gotten 1 review. Tough crowd! Thanks a lot for the review BloodAndDiamonds! I don't think it's that bad. More people will read as a go along right? (Laughs nervously) Seriously, reviews, suggestions, and comments are not only welcome but encouraged. I still have that opening for a Beta Reader as well. Disclaimer: I do not own Oblivion or any of the Elder Scroll games. Bethesda owns them. I'm just borrowing the elaborate background for a story and receive no profit for said story. What I do claim ownership to are my original characters M'Dargo and Chirranirr. It's time for the next chapter.**

**Reviews: BloodAndDiamonds**

**Story Alerts: BloodAndDiamonds**

The rain dripped down slowly from the top of the cavern and hit the cave floor with a plop. The sound echoed throughout the cave and repeated again and again at a steady rate. M'Dargo rolled over with a growl to prevent the water from landing on him. He attempted to find a comfortable position on the cave floor but gave up and shut his eyes. A few seconds later another raindrop hit his face and his eyes snapped open. He sat up to avoid the rain and pulled his already soaked hood over his head. M'Dargo gave a dry laugh as he took in his dark and dreary surroundings. It was definitely the kind of place you'd expect to find a vampire.

M'Dargo wasn't staying in the cave to avoid the rain. In fact he would much rather be on the move. Where he wanted to go he didn't exactly know. The reason he was staying in the cave was because it was daylight. There are a lot of myths and superstitions that circulate about vampires. A lot of them are absolute nonsense. Since he had turned M'Dargo had never cringed at the sight of garlic, although he didn't particularly like the taste of it. He could still see his reflection, had no trouble crossing moving water, and had never (nor wanted to) turned into a bat. One stereotype that was actually true was that vampires couldn't go out in sunlight.

M'Dargo grimaced as he remembered how he had found out this fact the hard way. It had been the day after he had woken up in the desolation of the farm he had destroyed. He had hidden himself in a forest for the night, trying to come to terms with what he did. It was an agonizing process. Occasionally M'Dargo would get sharper and clear images of what he had seen and done while in his bloodlust. He spent the night with his face in his hands, his tears washing away the bloodstains on his face. M'Dargo noticed the sky was getting gradually lighter. He had made his way to the edge of the forest and watched as the sun slowly rose.

M'Dargo had suddenly let out a growl of pain as a headache streaked through his mind; it felt like someone was beating his head with a hammer. His legs buckled and he fell to his knees. He felt like he was going to be sick. The worse was last to come. M'Dargo had begun to feel a searing burning sensation shooting across his skin. Looking down, he could see faint wisps of smoke coming off of him. His breath came in sharp panicked gasps as he got to his feet and tried to find cover. Using his very limited knowledge of restoration, M'Dargo was able to hold off the negative affects of the sun until he could find a ditch to hide out for the day.

M'Dargo picked up a small stone and gave it a careless flick with his hands. He watched it bounce off the cave wall, roll across the floor, and finally come to a stop. The ironic part of being a vampire was that you could actually go in the sunlight if you wanted to. There was just one catch. You had to feed. The longer a vampire went without feeding, the more damage sunlight would do to him or her. M'Dargo shifted uncomfortably. Feeding was something he tried to do as little as possible. He was terrified of losing control.

"If only there was something I could do to pass the time," M'Dargo said to himself quietly listening to the rain outside the cave. "I really don't want to go to sleep. The nightmares…" He trembled slightly, his tail twitching and brushing against the damp cave floor. M'Dargo didn't know if other vampires had nightmares like he did. He had never met a vampire on friendly terms before. The last vampire he had met… M'Dargo's throat went dry and he tried hard to swallow. It hadn't gone well at all. His life since turning had been very hard. He had no one to guide him or show him the ropes. M'Dargo felt like an outcast. He had to deal with all of these strange abilities, powers, emotions, and urges all by himself. He had no one to confide in.

M'Dargo chuckled weakly. "It's a wonder why I haven't gone mad yet. I never thought that I was particularly strong," he mused aloud. A bolt of lightning struck outside followed by a loud crash of thunder. M'Dargo flinched at the explosive convulsion of air. He looked back towards the entrance of the cave. "I pity any fool that's out in this storm."

* * *

Chirranirr flinched as another bolt of lightning shot across the sky. She tugged her green cloak more tightly around her shoulders and tried to keep the rain off of her. Maybe she should have planned this out a little more. Sure, it was impressive telling off your boss then leaving in a huff, but maybe it wasn't the brightest idea. She struggled with each step as mud tried to suck her boots right off her feet. The rain came down in buckets. To make matters worse, the wind blew in various directions so hard that it seemed that it was raining sideways. Even with her night vision Chirranirr could barely make anything out of her surroundings.

"Damn," she muttered under her breath. "You wouldn't think that it was the middle of the day. I've got to find some shelter." Chirranirr hated the rain. It matted her fur, and she hated to admit it, but she smelled awful when she was wet. Not to mention that scents were washed away along with the rain. Numeen on the other hand had always loved weather like this. Chirranirr smirked. Numeen had always said this kind of weather reminded her of the Black Marsh. "I can definitely put the Black Marsh on my list of places to never go." Chirranirr felt a pang in her chest as she thought of her argonian friend. It would be so much more bearable if Numeen were with her.

Chirranirr fought against the wind and slowly made it to the tree line. She breathed a sigh of relief as most of the rain seemed to have lessened underneath the shelter of the trees. Chirranirr leaned back against a tree and closed her eyes as she tried to block out the noise of the storm. She could hear nothing over the thunder and the bits of debris whipped around by the strong winds. "I hope this storm clears up soon," she said wistfully. As if to answer her question another bolt of lighting came down quickly followed by an explosive clap of thunder that left Chirranirr's ears ringing. She lay on the ground curled up in a ball, her tail wrapped around her side. Chirranirr slowly raised her head and opened her eyes. The tree she had been leaning against moments before was gone. All that remained was blackened and smoking stump. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She could have been killed. Chirranirr's heart began to pound in chest painfully.

Chirranirr got to her feet and ran out from the trees. She would much rather take her chances out in the open. The strong winds threatened to blow away her cloak and upset her pack but she kept marching at as fast a pace she could manage. Another bolt of lightning struck and it illuminated an object up ahead. Chirranirr squinted and tried to see what it was through all the rain. As she got closer to it she could make out the details. It was a cave! Shelter! Chirranirr wrapped her cloak more securely around her shoulders and began to run towards it.

* * *

M'Dargo leaned against a stalagmite and checked over his things. His map was muddied but legible, somewhat. He had cleaned his father's dagger and carefully put it away in its sheath. M'Dargo made sure all of his arrows were accounted for and inside his quiver. He also repaired his bow. The string was fraying a bit. He would have to get a new one or maybe an entirely new bow. How would he get one? Nobody sold to vampires. M'Dargo lay down on the ground and felt his amulet shift against his chest. He pulled it out from his shirt and looked at it.

It wasn't made of any kind of fancy material. It was just simple bronze amulet that was crafted quite beautifully. The bronze was twisted gently until it came down to the pendant, a single waxing moon. The moon was Secunda. It was the sign of the moon that M'Dargo had been born during. Masser had not been visible. He was an Ohmes-raht. M'Dargo appeared more human than some of his quadraped cousins. His parents had it made for him after he was born and he had worn it ever since. M'Dargo held it in his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Tears began to form in his eyes and they began to flow down his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly in the dark cave. M'Dargo closed his eyes as another jolt of guilt and grief ripped through him. "I'm so sorry." He wasn't sure what he was appologizing about. Everything and nothing perhaps. M'Dargo took in a shuddering breath as he tried to get a hold of himself. He wouldn't be able to go on if he dwelled on the past. M'Dargo ran a hand through his fur on his head and tried to comb it. "Get a grip M'Dargo," he muttered.

Thud.

M'Dargo's sensitive ears perked up at the sound. It was hard to pick it up from the sound of all the rain, but it was there. It was the sound of something slapping hard against the wet and muddy ground and it was getting louder and quicker.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Someone was coming! M'Dargo got up and whirled around to look for a place to hide in the cave. He could always go farther back but he was curious about who was coming. M'Dargo hoped that his curiousity wouldn't kill him as he thought of the strange saying of the people of Cyrodiil. He peered around the dark cave for a place. Something pointy in the corner of his vision caught his eye. A stalactite would be perfect. M'Dargo grabbed his pack and nimbly leapt from the ground to the stalactite. He extened his claws and they dug into the formation as he wrapped his arms and legs around it. The person was close enough for M'Dargo to detect. The person slowly entered the cave.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" the person called out. It was a khajiit, M'Dargo realized. A female. M'Dargo was tempted to open his mouth and answer, but he was quickly reminded of the last woman that he ecountered. He had enough of crazy women throwing fireballs at him for one day. M'Dargo held his tongue. He could hear the her set down her bag and sit down in the damp cave. M'Dargo carefully edged around the stalactite to get a better look. He peered down at the green cloaked figure.

She was beautiful! Her fur was a light golden color like a wheat field with spots shades of brown. Her green eyes were bright and her tail looked sleek and strong. She was also rather… endowed M'Dargo thought as his pale face flushed and he looked away. He paused and sniffed the air a few times and frowned. She did smell bad but most khajiit did when they got wet. That didn't happen that often in a desert realm like Elsweyr. Great. He was trapped in cave with a beautiful female. In other circumstances this would have been a good thing. In this circumstance M'Dargo shut his eyes and tried not to think about the last time he had fed. It had been three days ago.

A loud crack filled the cave. At first M'Dargo thought it was lightning. He was wrong. The sound was much closer. M'Dargo glanced up and swore. _Dammit to Oblivion!_ The stalactite he was clinging to was beginning to crack under his weight. The khajiit below him frowned at the cracking and tilted her head at the sound. M'Dargo tried to shimmy up the stalactite, but it was no use. The bottom section of the stalactite cracked off completely and he began to fall. M'Dargo let out a shout. The stalactite hit the ground and shattered, and M'Dargo landed on his butt. The other Khajiit stared at him with her eyes wide and her mouth opened. They looked at eachother for several long seconds.

M'Dargo decided to be the one to break the silence.

"Um… Hello?" he said nervoulsy as rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Sorry to just drop in like that but…" M'Dargo fell silent at the look on her face. It seemed that she was struggling with several emotions right now. There was surprise, fear, and anger. She formed a snarl and opened her mouth. M'Dargo grimaced inwardly. _Great, another crazy bitch is going to yell at me. _M'Dargo was right.

"You idiot! What were you thinking doing something so stupid! You could have killed me with that stalactite! Why didin't you answer me when I called out?

"You see…" Unfortunately for M'Dargo, this khajiit ignored him and kept on letting off steam.

"I don't care what godamn reasion you had! I'm sick and tired of males always looking out for themseleves and never giving a damn about females!" M'Dargo was indignant about this remark.

"Shut your mouth! Last night I…"

"I don't care what tramp or poor girl you had your way with last night!" she said as she stomped off to the opposite side of the cave and sat down.

"It wasn't like that at all!" The female khajiit rolled her eyes and snorted

"Yeah. I'm sure it wasn't. No always means yes, doesn't it?" M'Dargo let out a grow of frustration and stood up. This female was infuritating. He couldn't believe he found her attractive before.

"If you must know, last night I stopped some argonain bastards from 'having their way' with a female last night." The female khajiit opened her mouth several times but nothing came out. M'Dargo frowned. _Is she blushing?_ he thought incredulously. She wouldn't meet his eyes and looked down at the cave floor.

"You did?"

"I did."

"Oh." An awkward silence filled the cave. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

"You should be," M'Dargo replied smugly. Her tail twitched at that remark.

"Watch it," she replied, anger creeping back into her voice. M'Dargo put up his hand in surrender.

"Fine, fine," he said hastily. They settled back into silence once more. The only sound that could be heard was the raging storm outside. M'Dargo kept on glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. It had been a while since he encountered another khajiit, and he had no idea what to say. Forunately for him, she decided to speak up.

"Chirranirr."

"Huh?"

"My name is Chirranirr."

"Oh, I'm M'Dargo." Chirranirr snorted in laughter when she heard this. M'Dargo glared at her.

"Is there something wrong with my name?" She burst out laughing and this annoyed M'Dargo.

"No, no," she said as she tried to breath. "It's just what I said earlier. I didn't realize you were still a virgin."

"What?" M'Dargo cried out. "What gives you that idea?" Chirranirr looked at him from across the cave.

"Your suffix. The suffix Ma or M means 'young one' or 'aprrentice'. I didn't know that you were still just a cub"

"A cub! You're only a year or two older than me."

"Then you should respect your elders then." M'Dargo turned away from Chirranirr and peered at the cave wall.

"I'm not as innocent as I look, okay." Chirranirr's brow wrinkled in confusion. What did he mean? Chirranirr got up and sat down beside him. M'Dargo continued to keep his back turned to her.

"What about the other part of your name, dar. Are you clever or good with your hands?" M'Dargo let a sigh and turned to face Chirranirr.

"You have be clever to survive in this world, especially in my case." Chirranirr frowned at this comment. She looked him the eye and realized something. His eyes… They were red!

"M'Dargo, why are your eyes…?"

"I was jus born this way!" M'Dargo snapped at her as he shifted away from her. "I'm tired of people always asking about them." Chirranirr was quite taken back, but she tried to hide it.

"Is that why you're hiding in this cave? So people won't ask about… your eyes." M'Dargo shrugged in reply.

"That might be one of the reasons. I just really wanted to get out of the storm. Hopefully it will let up soon." Chirranirr nodded in agreement.

"I hope so too. I really need to get back on the road."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Well…" Chirranirr hesitated. Why was she talking to him. She wasn't the type of female who just opened up to some random stranger. Despite M'Dargo's appearance and his first impression, she felt that she could trust him. "I'm heading for Cheydinhall to find some work. After I quit my job,0 I gave my employer a piece of my mind, and I thought that it would be best to get out of there quickly." M'Dargo laughed.

"If it was anything like when I fell right in front of you, I'm sure that it was rather impressive." Chirranirr chuckled softly.

"Numeen said the same thing." Chirranirr fell silent. M'Dargo was curious but didn't want to press her. It felt so good connecting to another person after weeks of isolation and self loathing. It was like M'Dargo was pulling himself out from the underworld and could see a glince of light in the distance.

"Who's Numeen?" M'Dargo asked cautiously. Chirranirr smiled sadly.

"Numeen's my best friend. We're like sisters. She's always been there for me. I was out in the world all by myself when she took me in. Numeen cared for me. She picked me up whenever I fell and got me my a job at the Drunken Dragon Inn." Chirranirr said wistfully. "Of course she was using too much of that blasted Black Marsh spice was what got me in trouble with Draconis in the first place." M'Dargo put his hands up.

"Hold on a second! She's an argonian? A filthy swamp mucker! Some friend she was if she got you fired." Chirranirr glared at M'Dargo. Fire burned behind her emerald eyes. She growled at him.

"I won't let anyone speak of her like that! So what if she was an argonian. Do you have a problem with that?" She seemed to tower over M'Dargo and he cowered and attempted to scoot away from her.

"N-n-n no. No problem at all. I'm completely fine with it," M'Dargo stammered nervously. "I was just surprised that you were friends. You're a khajiit and she's an argonian. Chirranir sighed.

"Those racists ideas about argonians simply aren't true. The problem is that for the most part people don't get to know anyone and just stick with the stereotype. Stereotypes are almost always wrong. You can't judge one person based upon the general idea of her race. Numeen was a very kind person. She put too much spice on one dish and a customer hated it. I took the blame. I was just looking for an excuse to get out of that hell hole." M'Dargo was deep in thought thinking about what she had just said. He looked at Chirranirr with hope in his eyes.

"So what you're saying is that you shouldn't judge people of a certain race or lets say if they have a certain disease. They could be a good person that goes against the stereotype. People just need to get to know them better, and they'll see that? Right?" M'Dargo asked hopefully. Chirranirr was a little confused at what M'Dargo was getting at, but she nodded anyway.

"I guess so." M'Dargo gave her a warm smile.

"Thanks Chirranirr. I'm sorry about what I said before."

"Think nothing of it." Chirranirr noticed his teeth were rather large. She had never seen a khajiit with teeth that big before. "Well, I've talked plenty about myself. Tell me about yourself M'Dargo." M'Dargo's tail twitched nervously and he began to sweat.

"Myself?" Chirranirr nodded. M'Dargo began to fidget with his claws. Unsheathing and sheathing them again and again. It was something he did when he was nervous. "Well, I was born in Elswyr-" Chirranirr intterupted him.

"What's it like there? I've never been there before. My parents moved to Cyrodiil and I was born here."

"It's rather dry. Not many rivers or anything, but we got by. I grew up with my parents and my sibilings. My father harvested moon sugar for skooma, and I would help him sometimes. I had gone out with him and some others and then…" M'Dargo trailed off and stared off into space. His breathing became more rapid and his heart began to pound as he tought of what had happened that night. The full moon. The snapping of branches up ahead. A figure jumping out. Screams and bood filled the air. M'Dargo was going back to that night. The night when his world changed forever. M'Dargo could hear his name being called from far off.

"M'Dargo!" M'Dargo snapped back to reality. Chirranirr was leaning over him shaking his shoulder. Her face was filled with concern. "Are you alright?" M'Dargo nodded and then blushed at how close their faces and bodies were together. Chirranirr must have realized the same thing because she hastily moved back and sat opposite of him.

"Sorry about that," he said embarrased. "I must have spaced out."

"Does that happen often?" Chirranirr asked. He shook his head.

"No. I don't what happened just then."

"You were telling me about your past," she reminded him.

"Right. Well I thought it would be best for me if left Elswyr and went traveling. See the world and try to find my place in it."

"Do your miss your family?" M'Dargo put his face in his hands and sighed.

"Terribly but going back to them just isn't an option right now. I have to sort something out before I can do that."

"Don't we all. I'm not returning to my family and until I can make something of myself. I want to make them proud." M'Dargo looked up at Chirranirr and saw her worried expression. He looked into her eyes.

"Don't worry. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you will be able to make them proud." She smiled and M'Dargo felt his chest warm up and his heart skip a beat. She took one of his paws into her own and gave it a squeeze.

"Thank you. You're very sweet." M'Dargo's pale face flushed red and he couldn't say anything. Chirranirr laughed.

"You really are a virgin, aren't you?" M'Dargo released his hand from her gasp.

"Hey! What gives you that idea? That came out of nowhere!" Chirranirr leaned backwards.

"You either shy or a virgin. Possibly both." M'Dargo sighed exasperatley.

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation with a female I just met." M'Dargo could tell that she was teasing him and the strange thing was that he didn't really mind. He grinned in spite of himself. He hadn't felt any light,happy emotions at all since he had become a vampire. Only dark and desparing ones. Chirranirr had brought a change about him and he liked it. He didn't want it to end. "Chirranirr?" She had been laughing at M'Dargo's discomfort but she looked up.

"Yes." M'Dargo looked down and began to fidget with his hands. Sheathing and unsheathing his claws. "Well, I was wondering, maybe, if it's okay with you of course, that I could possibly…"

"Spit it out M'Dargo," Chirranirr said with with a grin on her face. She was evidently enjoying the effect that she had on him.

"Maybe I could accompany you to Cheydinhall. I mean, it's hundreds of miles north and there's safety in numbers. I've always wanted to visit the city." Chirranirr was taken back and couldn't respond for a moment.

"Sure! I mean, that would be fine with me. I really like you to come along M'Dargo," she said as she blushed and looked away. She didn't want to seem too eager. "The storm should let up by nightfall. We can leave then."

"Great!" Chirranirr moved to the otherside of the cave.

"I'm going to get some rest. Can you keep the first watch?"

"Not a problem."

"Thanks." M'Dargo was ecstatic. He was definitely looking forward to spending more time with Chirranirr. One thought however grounded his high spirits. He was a vampire. How would he hide this from her? Would she hate him for it? M'Dargo looked down and gave a depressed sigh.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered softly.

**A/N: M'Dargo is in for a bit of trouble. It's going to be interesting to see how keeps his secret a secret. Don't you just love it when it seems that your characters come alive and seem to write themselves. That's what happened in this chapter. I was a little nervous about how I was going to introduce M'Dargo and Chirranirr. Chirranirr is has quite a fiery spirit to her and M'Dargo is innocent in some matters and beyond his years in others. I'm also liking how their chemistry is starting off. I'll be sure to include more moments for them in the futer. Please review tell me what you think. All sugestions are welcome and I still need a beta reader.**


	3. Quenching and an Interrogation

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys and sorry for the delay! This next chapter is going to be dealing a little more with M'Dargo's vampire nature, especially feeding. It's going to be a little hard for him to do that with Chirranirr around! According to the game you have to feed on a sleeping person. Feeding on a deer or grizzly bear won't do like in Twilight. There aren't that many sleeping people out in the wild. There is Chirranirr however… (Frowns in contemplation) **

**Reviews: BloodAndDiamonds, firewish325, and Baeowulf (he emailed it to me)**

**Story Alerts: firwish325**

Chirranirr slowly opened her eyes and sat up. For a moment, she forgot where she was, but then her memories came flooding back. She was in a dank cave. She placed her hand out the side of her bedspread and recoiled quickly. She had just stuck it a puddle. "That's what you get for sleeping in a cave during a storm. I'm grateful that I didn't drown," she muttered softly to herself. Chirranirr stood up and glanced around the cave. Where was M'Dargo? She took a step forward and stepped on something flat. It was a piece of paper. Chirranirr picked it up and quickly read what was hastily written on it.

Chirranirr,

Sorry to leave you on your own, but I have to go out and pick up some supplies and do a little hunting. I'm completely out of venison, and all I have left is a bit of moldy cheese. Right now it's nightfall, and I'll be back in a couple of hours, definitely before the moons rise. Stay where you are and I'll be back as soon as I can.

-M'Dargo

Chirranirr sighed as she stretched and tried to work out the kinks in her back she got from sleeping on a rock floor. It looks like she was on her own for the time being. Oh well, M'Dargo said he would be back in a little bit didn't he? What if he didn't come back? Or worse, what if he did but he brought along some of his friends who looking for a good time? Could she even trust this guy? Chirranirr began to pace the cave anxiously. She had only met M'Dargo a couple hours before, and she already trusted him. She should know better than that. Working at a cavern quickly taught you that males weren't to be trusted. You always had to stay one step ahead of them?

_Relax, _she told herself. _He seems like a nice guy. M'Dargo is just a kid. He turned as red as rose when I mentioned anything suggestive. He's so innocent. _Then again Numeen had always told her that she had a knack for picking them. Like the wood elf that boasted that he was a prince of a long lost lineage and that the time of his family would come once more. It turned out that he didn't even have enough money to pay for his meal let alone his room. Chirranirr had tossed him out on his ass herself. There was just something about M'Dargo that she trusted but couldn't put her finger on. It also didn't hurt that there was definitely something mysterious about him and his past. He had just spaced out when he was about to tell her something, but she didn't want to press him. It really was none of her business. She would just have to wait for him to get back.

* * *

M'Dargo silently stalked through the undergrowth of the forest. The deer was directly in front of him. He was downwind. Perfect. M'Dargo slowly and carefully took out his bow and pulled and arrow out of his quiver. He stuck his tongue out in concentration as he took aim and drew the arrow back. The deer continued to munch on grass blissfully unaware. M'Dargo released the arrow and it shot through the air with a Twang! It found its mark. The deer dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks. M'Dargo stood up and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!"

He walked over to the deer, retrieved the arrow, and proceeded to skin the deer efficiently, making sure to get as much of the meat he could. Vampires didn't really need to eat regular food. They could survive entirely on blood but old habits died hard. Besides it tasted good and gave M'Dargo a sense of normalcy. It also kept up the illusion to others that nothing was wrong with him, one that he intended to keep as long as he could with Chirranirr. M'Dargo frowned during his work. He would definitely tell Chirranirr about his condition eventually. As soon as he knew that he could trust her, and that she wouldn't run screaming from him.

M'Dargo loaded the fresh venison into his pack and made sure it was secure. He looked back in the direction to where the cave was and where Chirranirr waited. M'Dargo really needed her. She took his mind off the darkness that threatened to swamp his mind whenever he had a fee moment to think. "If she found out and left, I don't know what I'd do." He knew that it was definitely a possibility. That ungrateful imperial woman had reinforced it in his mind. Now that he had his venison. There was just one more thing he had to take care of, a different kind of hunting.

M'Dargo would have to feed before he returned to Chirranirr. If he didn't he would reach the fourth stage of vampirism. If that happened there would be no hiding it from Chirranirr. There were roughly four different stages of vampirism; levels. In the first stage a vampire appeared almost normal. They could even go out in the sun. The second and third stage brought made a vampire burn in the sunlight but also gave him new abilities. The final stage was the most vicious and animal like. As much as M'Dargo didn't particularly enjoy feeding he disliked the fourth stage more. His fear of losing control was greatest at this stage.

He also became much stronger, faster, and more agile the higher the stage he was in. It was one of the perks of being a vampire. The power that came with it could almost be dizzying. You could get lost in it. Fortunately reality set in and being the scourge of the earth prevented M'Dargo from reveling in his new powers. He would give them up in an instant if it meant he could just be a normal khajiit and just have to deal with normal prejudice. M'Dargo walked over to a tall tree and sized it up. It was around 60 feet tall and he couldn't even wrap his arms around the front of the trunk. This would do. M'Dargo unsheathed his claws and quickly and nimbly began to scale the tree. His agility as a khajiit had only been increased since becoming a vampire, and he scaled the tree easily.

He looked across the landscape. The Panther River's waters could be seen reflecting moonlight in the far distance. M'Dargo squinted and scanned the skies carefully. What was that rising off in the distance? It passed through the moonlight and he could see it. It was smoke. "Where there's smoke, there's a fire," M'Dargo whispered to himself. Hopefully that fire would have people as well. The smoke was rising due east. M'Dargo climbed down the tree and began walking towards it.

The campsite was in the middle of a clearing. Three tents were set up with a fire in the center. There was only one person on watch. The other two were sleeping in their tents. M'Dargo hid behind a tree just outside of the clearing. The sentry seemed to be tired. He was yawning, and his head came dangerously close to dropping. Now was the perfect time to act. M'Dargo stealthily circled around the campsite to the opposite end of where the sentry stood guard. He crouched low to the ground and took his time with each step he took. Snap! He stepped on a branch. M'Dargo barely suppressed curse as he looked over to where the man stood guard.

"Hello! Who's there?" The man looked around the empty forest. M'Dargo held his breath and shut his eyes. The man shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I must have had too much to drink. I'm starting to see things. I've got to cut back on all that ale." M'Dargo let out a sigh of relief. That had been a close one. He might have been mistaken for a bandit and attacked on sight. That was another racist concept. Not all khajiit were bandits or criminals! Sure, some were but that could be said of any race really. M'Dargo winced at the thought of the man truly discovering who he was. The names used for vampires were not kind.

The tents were very simple and modest. They were no more than cloth erected over a rollout bedspread; basic but effective. M'Dargo silently walked over to one and slipped inside. The person sleeping inside was a nord. The man had long blonde hair and slept with one hand on his battle axe. M'Dargo would have to be careful. He walked to the side of the bedspread and bent closer to the nord. M'Dargo quickly recoiled. The man smelled awful! When was the last time that he had bathed? He shrugged his shoulders and bent over him once more. Beggars couldn't be choosers after all.

M'Dargo looked at the nord's neck and quickly found his jugular vein. His bloodlust suddenly welled up from with in him as he listened to the nord's heartbeat. M'Dargo could feel his senses ignite and sharpen. He opened his mouth to reveal that his canines had descended. His breath came in rapid gasps as forbidden desires and urges threatened to overcome his body. M'Dargo wanted to sink his fangs into that neck and drown himself in the hot, sweet, crimson liquid of life that his body desired so greatly. His vision had begun to blur around the edges and he clenched his hands tightly together involuntarily. M'Dargo wrenched himself away from the nord

"I've got to relax and control myself," he muttered under his breath. "If I don't, I'll end up draining all of his blood and kill him." M'Dargo knew this from past experience. The bloodlust was strong and sang throughout his being. It took great discipline for him to feed on someone without losing control of himself. M'Dargo had found that out the hard way a while ago. But practice did make perfect, eventually… He bent over the nord once more with a determined look set on his face. M'Dargo lowered his mouth and sank his fangs into the nord's neck.

The nord didn't stir. Vampire bites didn't hurt much at all really. It was just a little sting. A victim wouldn't feel it if they were fast asleep. Feeding was actually less risky than pick pocketing. M'Dargo sucked up the man's red blood and shuddered at how good it tasted. He could hear his heart pounding rapidly as he took in more blood. The blood had wondrous effects on M'Dargo. It calmed him down and removed a burden he didn't even know he carried. He finished and stood back up. M'Dargo felt almost normal now. His bloodlust had been satisfied for now…

Porphyric Hemophilia or vampirism wasn't an ordinary disease. No disease had such a drastic effect on its victim. It was a magical disease. The misconception was that being bitten by a vampire spread the disease was only partially true. The disease could only be spread by wounds or bites if the vampire consciously wanted to spread it. The nord would wake feeling a little light headed and pale but he would be perfectly fine. He would pass it off for a hangover. M'Dargo never passed on the disease. Nobody else deserved this curse he had.

M'Dargo looked at the tent's walls and could see two shapes standing by the fire thanks to his hunter's sight ability. His ears twitched as he picked up bits of their conversation.

"Ernard, how goes the watch? See anything suspicious?"

"No not really. I heard a stick snap a little while ago but it was probably just a deer or something."

"You probably imagined it. I don't know what Berg was thinking putting you on watch with all the ale you drank tonight." The man gave a sigh of exasperation.

"At least I'm able to hold my ale unlike you. Besides, my shift is over I'm going to wake up Berg and get some shut eye." M'Dargo froze and slowly turned to look back at the sleeping nord. They were talking about him. He had to get of here! Ernard had begun to walk towards the tent's entrance. M'Dargo had nowhere to go. There was only one way out, or was there? M'Dargo looked down at his dagger at his belt. He quickly unsheathed it and slashed an opening through one of the tent's sheets and into the forest.

Ernard lifted the flap of the tent's entrance and walked in without looking. "Berg, wake up you lazy bastard. It's time for your watch." Ernard felt a breeze blow against his face. That was odd. The tent was new and it shouldn't have any drafts. Ernard looked up and his mouth fell open. Someone had left a huge gash through the side of the tent. Ernard rushed over to Berg and shook him to wake him up.

"Berg, wake up Berg! Someone broke into the tent!" Berg struggled to consciousness and yawned loudly.

"Wha was that? Somebody…?"

"Somebody got past me on watch and went into your tent. Check your purse. Is anything taken?" At this point Berg was wide awake and his mouth was wide open with shock.

"Some bandit got in here!" Berg quickly checked through his things. Everything seemed to be in place. His gold coins and ring weren't taken. "Strange," he said looking up at Ernard. "Everything is still here. Whoever got in here didn't take anything." Ernard took a closer look at Berg and took a step backwards in shock.

"Berg!"

"What?" Ernard pointed a trembling finger at Berg. "Your neck… Look at your neck!" Berg quickly examined his neck with his fingers. He suddenly stopped and his blood ran cold when he felt marks along the side of his neck. Two marks to be exact; puncture marks.

"Vampire." The word silently left his lips as he took in the situation. Ernard snapped him out of his contemplation.

"Don't just stand there like gaping imp! Help me pack up camp quickly. More could be on their way as we speak," he said as he nervously glanced over his shoulder. "You know they like to hunt in packs right? I read it in a courier once."

"You can read?" Berg asked skeptically.

"Yes I can, quite well, now let's get a move on," Ernard said quickly as he called out to their other companion. Berg stood up and began to hastily pack up his things.

"I'm going to need to get a chapel and get this bite mark checked out. I could be infected."

"You think a chapel would actually bless you? After all the things you've done?" Ernard asked in disbelief.

"It's worth a shot!" Berg yelled angrily.

M'Dargo took off running through the forest. He had stuck around hidden in the underbrush and listened to their conversation. They had nothing to worry about. He wasn't going off to contact his coven or anything ridiculous like that. Berg hadn't even been infected. "I only took a little bit of blood," M'Dargo rationalized with himself. "Only a pint or two, that nord was huge. He doesn't need all of it." M'Dargo came to a stop and placed his hand against his face and brushed her fur. "Dammit," he muttered. "Before I know it I'll have vampire hunters hounding me down. Between those guys, the lizard scum, and that ungrateful Imperial woman the guard will start to take notice.

There was a good reason vampires kept a low profile. It was the best method to survive when the world was your enemy. He would have to stay hidden from now on and hopefully any rumors that will be started will stay that way, just rumors. If M'Dargo had just killed them and hidden their bodies instead there wouldn't be any problems. He shook his head violently. No. M'Dargo looked down at his hands and clenched them tightly. "I am not an assassin! I'll find a way to deal with this. I have to," he said resolutely. M'Dargo started racing back towards the cave and Chirranirr. The sooner they got moving the better.

* * *

The argonian was slammed heavily into a chair and his head hit the table in front of him. He hissed in pain and spat blood out of his mouth. He wasn't in good shape at all. The argonian was filthy, bruised, and couldn't even remember the last meal he had had.

"The interrogator will be with you shortly," the guard that had brought him there said as he walked out the door and locked it behind him. The argonian lifted his head up and took in his surroundings. This wasn't an ordinary holding cell. It was a in a different part of the dungeon. The walls were gray and covered in mold and slime. Water dripped into the roof and dead rats lay at the corners of the room. Not the most hygienic place he had ever been in. It was a good thing that argonian's had a good resistance to most diseases. There was only one way out. The door the guard had taken. Even if he could unlock the door he was unarmed. They had confiscated his armor and weapons when he was arrested.

This whole business was rather strange. He should have been sent straight to jail. What did they want with him? The others might have sold him out but he couldn't be too sure about that. There was a certain degree of honor among criminals. Someone was coming. A key went into the door and he could hear the click as the door unlocked. The door slowly and reluctantly opened. The argonian winced and raised a hand in front of his eyes at the light coming in. A man walked in, a redguard. He wore leather armor and gauntlets. A bow was strapped to his back and at his belt was a sword and several interesting daggers. What was odd was the necklace peeking out from underneath the leather. Was it garlic?

"Hello lizard scum."

"Greetings milord, how may I be of service?" The argonian replied sarcastically as he spat on the ground. The redguard shut the door behind him and took a seat opposite of the argonian. He reached into his pockets and pulled a piece of parchment and looked it over.

"Your name is Weerhat and it seems you've committed many crimes. They are, but are not limited to: thievery, pillaging, murder, rape, and arson." The redguard looked at Weerhat and raised an eyebrow. "You could put away for a quite some time," he said easily and pleasantly. "Maybe even for life," he concluded cheerfully. Weerhat didn't seem as pleased as the redguard. He hissed angrily and spat at him.

"Then why aren't I in jail then? Why are you holding me here? Who are you?" The redguard's expression darkened, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Who am I? My name is Karrod." Suddenly he leaned forward and punched the argonian with lightning fast speed and slammed him headfirst into the table. The table cracked slightly and wooden debris filled the air. Weerhat wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. He hadn't even seen it coming. Karrod got behind him and wrapped his fingers around the argonian's throat and leaned in close to his ear. "I've seen things that you can't possibly imagine. Things that would shock and disgust even the vile and miserable likes of you. I am your interrogator and I'll be asking you a few questions. Understand?"

Weerhat silently nodded as best as he could with the man's grip on his throat. "Good." Karrod released his hold. "I like you to be on the same page as I am." Karrod got up and walked behind the argonian. He glanced down at his report before returning his attention to his prisoner. "You and several others were picked up earlier this evening. Three of them were heavily injured. You and one other were not." Karrod paused. Weerhat snorted and glanced over his shoulder.

"What do you want, a prize for restating the obvious?"

"No, I want answers. What happened to your merry little band of hell raisers? Did someone or… something decide to stop you?" Weerhat shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare at the wall opposite of him.

"I don't know. I wasn't there when it happened. Those three idiots decided to go off on their own. It's no scales off my tail if they get themselves into trouble."

"Is that so?" Karrod leaned against the wall and began to absent mindedly clean his dagger. "Because when I spoke with them they had a much different tale to tell." The argonian's eyes widened and his breath came a little quicker. Karrod walked over Weerhat and leaned down next to him. Weerhat refused to meet his eyes. "They said they were about to violate an imperial woman when someone stopped them." Weerhat let out a laugh.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. They probably had too much to drink and imagined the whole thing." Karrod smiled. Weerhat was lifted up and slammed into the table. The table buckled and collapsed. Karrod kicked him in the ribs until they cracked. He lifted him up and slammed his head against the wall. He then grabbed the argonian's tail and snapped it, breaking the end of it in three different places. Karrod was cold, quick, and efficient. The argonian lay on the ground, coughing up blood as he struggled to breathe, hindered by his broken ribs. Karrod knelt down beside the beaten bandit.

"Are you ready to talk now?" Weerhat didn't reply. Karrod sighed and shook his head.

"I guess I'll have to resuscitate you." He brought back his fist and connected it with the Argonian's jaw. "Talk," he ordered.

"There was…" he broke off into a violent coughing fit.

"Go on."

"A khajiit… He had a bow and a dagger. No armor… just regular clothes."

"What did he look like?"

"Young, he had red eyes." Karrod froze and all that could be heard in the room was the dripping of water and the shallow watery breath of Weerhat. A dark look came over the Redguard's eyes and his hand strayed to the hilt of his sword.

"Red eyes?"

"Yes."

"Are you positive?" The argonian nodded weakly.

"He was a… vampire. That mongrel was so strong… Used strange powers." Karrod got up and purposely walked to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. He talked to the guard on duty.

"Get a healer in here then throw that scum into a jail cell. I'm through with him."

"Yes sir." The guard marched off. Weerhat managed to slowly and painfully roll himself onto his back and looked at Karrod.

"What are you?" he asked before he lost consciousness. Karrod turned around and looked at the argonian's prone body.

"What am I?" he said quietly. "I'm a hunter; a vampire hunter. I hunt beasts who take on sentient form." He walked out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

Chirranirr was waiting outside the cave when she heard footsteps. It was M'Dargo. He held some venison in the air with a goofy smile. "The hunter has returned bearing meat!" He called out as he walked over to Chirranirr. She smiled.

"It's about time you got back. What took you so long? Did you run into any trouble?" M'Dargo's smile faltered and he looked down.

"No, no trouble at all. I just did some scouting of the area. We should be able to ford the Panther River by day break. So let's get going."

"Fine, let me carry some of that venison for you," Chirranirr said as she walked over M'Dargo and attempted to take some if from his arms. M'Dargo took a step back.

"I can carry it by myself. You don't need to help." Chirranirr took another step forward and attempted to swipe the venison once more.

"But I want to help." M'Dargo raised the meat above his head and out of her reach.

"It's fine really. Besides, I'm stronger than you anyway, so I should carry it." Chirranirr's green eyes narrowed and growl built up in the back of her throat.

"What was that? What makes you think you're stronger than me?" M'Dargo turned away and looked out into the forest.

"Just an educated guess," he muttered under his breath. Chirranirr's fur began to bristle. Where did he get the right to tell her what she could or couldn't do? Chirranirr walked right up to M'Dargo and stared him down. M'Dargo was a head taller than her but she seemed to tower over him. He flinched and looked down. Chirranirr poked him the chest with a finger so hard that he winced.

"That's very sexist! What? So you think that males are stronger than females! That we are inferior to you! Is that what you think? Because I have some news for you, that's not true!" M'Dargo began to sweat. She could be quite scary when she got riled up.

"And another thing-"

"Chirranirr, I never meant to offend you." She cocked her head to the side and frowned.

"Well you did." M'Dargo shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Fine, if you want to carry all this so bad here you are." He handed her all of the venison he had carried. Chirranirr struggled under all of the weight and fell to her knees. The venison fell onto the ground. Chirranirr's face flushed bright red. M'Dargo burst out laughing. Not even Chirranirr's murderous glare could stop him. He clutched his sides as he struggled to breathe. Chirranirr began to gather up the venison that she had dropped. M'Dargo got down on his knees to help her pick them up. Their hands brushed over one piece and they paused. She looked up at him and realized how close they were. Her blush deepened. M'Dargo had some trouble swallowing and speaking. Eventually he was able to croak out, "Do you want some help?" Chirranirr looked down.

"I guess." They looked down and saw that their hands were still touching. They quickly moved back and began to hurriedly pick up the venison without looking at one another. They finally decided on how to carry the meat. M'Dargo carried most of it but Chirranirr added some to her pack as well. They both started walking north to the Panther River. After a while of walking in silence Chirranirr spoke up.

"M'Dargo?"

"Yes."

"If you say one word about this ever again, I will personally drown you in the Panther River. Understand?" M'Dargo stopped walking and Chirranirr got ahead of him as he tried to process what she just said. He looked up and realized how far she had gone ahead.

"Chirranirr wait up!" he yelled as he ran after her. "You're not serious are you? Chirranirr?"

**We end the chapter with a little fight between them. I can't help it. It's just so much fun to have them at each other's throats. I don't know when I'll be able to update again. School's starting on Tuesday and I'll probably become really busy. I'll try to update as soon as I can. I'll aim for once a week. At least I can say I did something productive over the summer. I'll probably have Chirranirr found out M'Dargo's secret in a couple of chapters. Please review and tell me what you think, how I can improve, and any suggestions. I'm also still looking for a beat reader.**


	4. Of Hope and Trolls

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry that it's been such a long time since I updated. I feel terrible. I'm starting to write the next chapter in my webpage design class. School is pretty hectic but trying to update soon. Thanks for the reviews they really make my day. I guess I should I'm probably start mapping out the story instead of just winging it all the time, now for the next chapter.**

**Reviews**: **BloodAndDiamonds, firewish325, Baeowulf (via private messaging)**

**Alerts: amaliacullen**

The Panther River. It was one of the largest major rivers in all of eastern Cyrodiil. It stretched from the Nibenay Bay east almost to the Black Marsh. It twisted and contorted and went off in different directions, forking off like teeth. It would take too long to walk around it to the east. It would have to be forded to the north if they were to make it to Cheydinhal. M'Dargo sighed resolutely as he put away his worn out map. He had no idea how they were going to ford the river. If they weren't careful the strong tides could sweep them away and crush them against the rocks. M'Dargo didn't know which one he cared for least, drowning or being smashed to bits. Both were equally unpleasant options.

"M'Dargo let's get a move on. We're burning moonlight here." Chirranirr called after him with her hands on her hips. The two moons had reached risen fully in the sky and bathed her fur in their soft pale light. Her green eyes gleamed impatiently. M'Dargo glanced down to hide the blush that seemed to appear too often these days.

"Hold your horses! I'm trying to think of a way to cross the river. I don't know about you but I'm not too fond of drowning." Chirranirr walked over to M'Dargo and stood by him. Uncertainty crossed her face and she frowned in thought.

"I haven't really given it much thought. I suppose we could walk along the river bank until we find someone with a boat and pay them to take us across…" Chirranirr's face lit up with excitement and she snatched M'Dargo's map out his hands despite his protests. Chirranirr knelt down and spread the map flat upon the ground. She focused on the eastern half of the map. She glanced up at M'Dargo. His eyebrows were raised. Chirranirr began to plot out route on the map with her fingers.

"Listen. We're somewhere along here by the Panther River," she said as the pointed out the river on the map. "We could take a boat along the river west to the Niben Bay. From there we can take the Road River almost all the way to Cheydinhal!" Chirranirr looked up at M'Dargo expectantly. M'Dargo took a moment to process what she had just said. It was a good idea. It would be a lot quicker and safer to travel by river than by foot. M'Dargo frowned as a thought suddenly came to mind. Unless he fed again, he could only be out in the sun for one day. Going by river would be much quicker but it could still take weeks. A boat would have to have a below deck for him to hide out for the day. That would be expensive… Come to think of it, did they even have enough for a simple canoe?

M'Dargo crossed his arms and tired to think of a way to tactfully bring the subject up. "Well Chirranirr, hiring a boat to take us up the Road River would cost a considerable amount of money. I'm not exactly that prosperous in monetary terms…"

"How prosperous are you?" Chirranirr inquired. M'Dargo mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What was that?" M'Dargo sighed and cocked his head to the side.

"I have only 20 gold Septims to my name." Chirranirr sighed.

"You only have 20?" M'Dargo nodded silently. Chirranirr got up. "Well I'm only slightly better off than you. I have 30 Septims. One of the reasons I quit my job was because of the horrible pay. I guess we'll just have to figure something out when we reach the river. Hopefully I'll be able to get a better job at Cheydinhal." The two of them of them set off walking once more at a brisk pace. M'Dargo suddenly spoke up.

"What would you be?"

"What?"

"What job do you want when you get to Cheydinhal?" Chirranirr looked away from him and frowned.

"You would just laugh at me."

"No I wouldn't!" M'Dargo protested. Chirranirr turned to face him as they started walking up a hill.

"Yes, you definitely would. You laughed like it was the funniest joke in the world when I dropped all that venison."

"I already said that I was sorry. Besides, that was a one time thing only. Tell me please?" Chirranirr mumbled something softly.

"I can't hear you." Chirranirr sighed and raised her voice.

"I said that I wanted to start my own business, alright. There go ahead and laugh now," she said bitterly as her tail swung back and forth with each step she took. M'Dargo was confused. That seemed like a good plan. It sure was better than his plan of trying to figure out where he would get his next feeding from.

"What are you talking about? That seems like a good idea! Find a service people need and fulfill it. You just need to find the right opportunity and seize the right moment that's all." M'Dargo put his head on top of his fist and frowned in contemplation. Chirranirr looked up at M'Dargo like he had sprouted an extra head.

"You're serious?" she asked incredulously.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that… Most males seem to not like the idea of a female starting their own business. Personally, I just think it's because we intimidate them, and they feel threatened.

"That's just stupid," M'Dargo replied.

"Yeah, well I met a lot of stupid males at my old job. The alcohol didn't help either." Chirranirr suddenly looked at M'Dargo sharply. "Do you drink?" she asked. M'Dargo stiffened momentarily and then forced himself to relax and gave a weak laugh.

"Do I drink alcohol? No. I don't touch the stuff. I've had skooma a few times though." Chirranirr snorted and looked away.

"Great… The last thing I need is an addict."

"What! I've only tried it a few times. I'm not addicted. Khajiit can handle it better than other races anyway. Besides, it's not like I'm in a position to acquire some," he said logically as he gestured at their surroundings.

"Good," Chirranirr said shortly. "I can't stand a male who can't control his own urges, makes me sick." M'Dargo stooped cold. She didn't really mean that, did she? It wasn't his fault that he was like this. He did his best to keep in control.

_Yeah, just like that time with that family,_ a voice in his head said darkly. _You really held yourself back when you killed those children's parents before their very eyes. Face it you enjoyed every second of it; the screams, the struggling, and the sweet, sweet blood._

"Shut up! Just shut up!" M'Dargo yelled angrily smacking his head with his paw.

"M'Dargo?" He looked up. Chirranirr had continued walking without his notice. She was giving him a very confused look. Her eyebrows were raised and her ears stood up in surprise. "Are you…" She hesitated momentarily, "Alright?"

_Great going M'Dargo, now she probably thinks that you're crazy._ M'Dargo looked down and began to sheath and unsheathe his claws repeatedly. "I'm fine, sorry about that. Let's keep moving." They kept on walking in silence until they came atop a hill and the Panther River came to into view. The sight was breathtaking. The water shone silver in the fading moons' light. The water rushed west and emptied into the Niben Bay. Fish could be seen jumping up from the water and mudcrabs walked along the shore. Chirranirr was the first to break the silence.

"It's beautiful," she said softly. M'Dargo nodded.

"It is." M'Dargo glanced at Chirranirr out of the corner of his eye. Chirranirr caught him looking at her and he coughed nervously as his pale face flushed bright red. "We should try to find a way across. Look for a fisherman or points where the river is shallower."

"Okay." They walked along the bank eastward for about an hour. They didn't find any boats. A mudcrab did scuttle up to Chirranirr who swiftly punted it back into the river with a strong kick. The sky began to get lighter. In a few more hours the sun would rise. M'Dargo would be fine for now. He had recently fed so the sun wouldn't hurt him. Now there was just the issue of either finding someone to feed on or convince Chirranirr to only travel only at night. Both options appeared difficult. He would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

Eventually they came across a wood elf that had a canoe. As M'Dargo and Chirranirr approached him he raised his torch and called out nervously.

"Who- who goes there? Identify who you are at once!" he said in arrogant voice that failed to hide his fear.

"We're just two weary travelers looking for passage across the river," Chirranirr said as they came within the sphere of light the torch cast. The wood elf's face quickly changed from a look of fear to disdain and loathing.

"Oh, you're khajiit," the elf said disdainfully. "I can understand why you fleabags wouldn't want to get your delicate paws wet." Chirranirr's fur rose angrily at this comment.

"What was that you little impetuous-" M'Dargo grabbed Chirranirr's arm and gave a look and shook his head silently. Getting into a shouting match wouldn't get them across the river. M'Dargo decided to try a more diplomatic approach.

"Look sir, we need to cross the river and we are willing to pay you to do so. What do you say?" The wood elf narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin in contemplation. M'Dargo could see the gears turning in his head.

"How much do you have?" M'Dargo opened his mouth to answer but Chirranirr cut him off.

"We have 35 Septims." M'Dargo gave Chirranirr a confused look. They had more than that. Chirranirr's tail brushed gently up against M'Dargo and it sent shivers up his spine. As the wood elf mulled over their answer, Chirranirr turned to look at M'Dargo. Her bright green eyes told him to trust her. M'Dargo kept his mouth shut. The wood elf had finally come to an answer. His greed for gold seemed to outweigh his disdain for khajiit.

"Fine but I don't want any of your awful stink coming onto my boat. Stay on one side and don't move from it! I also wanted to be paid in advance." Chirranirr growled deep in her throat.

"Fine," she spat out angrily. She and M'Dargo went through their pockets and pulled out their gold coins. The wood elf quickly snatched them from their hands, counted them up, and bit them to ensure that they were real. He grunted and turned back to them.

"These will do. We'll leave in 20 minutes. Be wary. There are rumors of dangerous creatures abroad." The wood elf gave a wicked grin. "I'm sure some of them would like nothing better to have you for a snack." This thought seemed to cheer the wood elf considerably, and he went back to his canoe whistling as he began the preparations. M'Dargo sighed and massaged his temple.

"Out all the people along this river we came across a complete asshole." M'Dargo looked over at Chirranirr. "What do you think the odds of that are?" Chirranirr sat down a on a log and M'Dargo sat down with her.

"I don't know. With my luck it's very likely; you being the exception."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. You might only be a partial asshole." M'Dargo gave a low laugh and looked across the river.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Chirranirr."

"Anytime." A cold wind suddenly blew by and Chirranirr shivered and wrapped her cloak more securely around her. "Dark and dangerous times are coming. With the emperor assassinated I don't know what to think anymore." M'Dargo's head shot up.

"The Emperor's been assassinated?" Chirranirr looked at him with astonishment.

"Yes," she said slowly. "It's been the biggest news throughout the Empire. Where have you been living, under a rock?" Chirranirr wasn't to far from the truth. Vampires weren't accepted in society, and M'Dargo had to live in caves, marshes, forests, and swamps. None of them had been very pleasant.

"I was on duty when the courier brought the news to the Inn. People were so shocked and dismayed. Uriel Septim had been such a strong ruler. The drinking increased tremendously after that. People just seemed to give up hope and shrank into themselves. With all the horrible things that have happened I can't really blame them," Chirranirr said sadly. They sat in silence for a few long moments before any of them said anything.

"Hope," M'Dargo began, "is a very strange thing. Sometimes when you're filled with dread and self-loathing, you don't think that anything can get better. Life appears dark and twisted. There is no beauty or good, just darkness and pain. You look at people that are happy and think 'what is their secret? How can they cast off these miserable chains that bind me in this cell?" Chirranirr was hanging on every one of M'Dargo's words. She wanted to ask him about it, but she didn't dare interrupt him. "The truth is that hope doesn't start bright and flaring. No, it's more subtle than that. It's like a small light glowing from above. It's like… It's like light shining through a cavern. Something or… someone gives you the strength to go on; the strength to live and try to better yourself. That's just what I think"

Chirranirr was speechless. This kid, no, that wasn't the right word, had just shone her part of his soul. She had only him for a day but it seemed like that she had known him for so much longer. The only other person she had felt this close to was Numeen. Chirranirr had better slow things down. She was feeling things she hadn't felt before, a light happy and warm feeling that started from her chest and radiated outward. It was both alarming and pleasant.

"M'Dargo." He looked up at her surprised.

"Yes."

"I didn't know that you were so poetic," Chirranirr said as she leaned a little closer to him and took his paw into hers. His fur was so soft but his hand was cool to the touch. That was odd.

M'Dargo blushed and looked away, embarrassed to have actually just said what he had said aloud. "It's nothing really. I've just had a lot of time to think things like that." Chirranirr slowly reached up and turned M'Dargo's face so he was looking at her. Her hand lingered on his cheek and M'Dargo repressed a shudder that threatened to run through his body. What was happening to him? Chirranirr's hand returned to her lap but her other one made no indication of letting go of his paw. M'Dargo didn't want her to.

"Are you speaking from experience, M'Dargo?" she whispered softly. Words got caught in his throat. How much should he tell her? A little bit, he could tell her a little bit.

"I guess I am. I've gone through a dark time in my life. I suppose you could say that I'm still going through it. For some reason I think my life is slowly getting a little better. I'll be able do deal with it and become a person I can be proud of. Be able to look into a mirror and say 'that's me and for once I'm not ashamed of myself'. Chirranirr's thumb gently stroked the back of M'Dargo's paw.

"I think you'll have no trouble doing just that M'Dargo," Chirranirr answered leaning a little closer to him so their faces were inches apart, her head tilted slightly to the side. M'Dargo's heart began pound painfully fast. Did she… Did she want him to kiss her! He had never had done anything like this before. He began to sweat nervously. Chirranirr slowly closed her eyes and small smile spread across her face. There was no doubt about it anymore. Thoughts began to run through M'Dargo's head. There were hundreds of reasons he shouldn't be doing this: he had lied to her, he was a vampire, he could end up hurting her, and their relationship was doomed from the start. Yet M'Dargo found himself slowly leaning in close to her, their lips centimeters apart. He could smell her sweet scent, something warm and mint like…

"Hey! I'm leaving right now whether you're on this boat or not! I don't care whether you two mongrels or heat or not, save it for when you're across the river; hopefully when I'm downwind of you." M'Dargo and Chirranirr opened their eyes in shock and quickly jumped back from each other. M'Dargo lost his balance and fell backwards off the log and landed on his butt. Both of their faces were flushed and their breathing a little fast. Chirranirr went over to M'Dargo and helped him up. A little jolt could be felt when their hands touched, a reminder of what had almost happened a moment ago. They awkwardly walked over to the canoe that was near the edge of the river. The wood elf instructed them that they would have to help with the castoff.

"You two will have to get at the end of the bow and push it into the river. Once we're in the water you'll have to paddle. I'll steer and guide you across." M'Dargo and Chirranirr put their hands up against the canoe and began to slide it into the river.

"We're doing all of the work," he muttered under his breath. Chirranirr gave a brief nod. Suddenly a roar went up through the forest. M'Dargo and Chirranirr stopped their efforts and turned towards the forest. Birds began to call out and fly away in the opposite direction of where the noise came from. A wave of unease went through M'Dargo. "I've got a bad feeling about this." The roar came again, this time much closer. It sounded animal like and enraged.

M'Dargo could just make out the blue blurred outline of the creature that was coming with his Hunter's Sight. It was huge, taller than him and twice as wide. It broke through the underbrush and M'Dargo could see it clearly now. It walked on two legs and was covered with green fur. It had three eyes and rows of sharp teeth. It was a troll.

M'Dargo quickly went into action. He grabbed Chirranirr and threw her into the canoe along with the terrified wood elf. He got behind the canoe and quickly shoved it into the water. He shoved it so hard that it kept on floating for several feet. M'Dargo quickly whirled around faced the troll. It seemed to have just realized that he was here. It opened its mouth and let out a horrible roar with saliva flying everywhere.

"M'Dargo!" Chirranirr cried out from the boat. M'Dargo looked over his shoulder for a moment.

"Chirranirr, stay on the boat! You'll be safer there! You, elf!" The wood elf was startled and turned to look at M'Dargo. "Start rowing and get her out of here. I'll stay here and try to hold it-" The troll took this moment to attack. One of its fists collided with M'Dargo and sent him falling to the ground. The wind was knocked out of him and he struggled to breath. The troll ran over to M'Dargo and raised its foot above M'Dargo's head. He barely had time to roll out of the way before it came crashing down, forming an imprint where his head had been a moment before. M'Dargo jumped to his feet and attacked with a strong uppercut to the creature's torso. It knocked the troll back a couple steps but that was all it did. M'Dargo looked down at his hand in confusion. Oh course! He had just fed; he had gone from a vampire stage of three to one. He was a lot weaker now.

There was no way he would be able to beat the troll using just hand to hand. M'Dargo brought out his bow and fitted a bow from his quiver in it. He pulled back and let the arrow fly. It connected with the troll and became lodged in its shoulder. The troll roared in pain and rushed forward. The troll brought back its fist and swung, but M'Dargo had already dropped down and rolled between the creatures legs. M'Dargo popped up again and fired an arrow into the troll's neck. The troll roared once more but didn't go down.

"Damn, I really hope those old wives tales of only being able to kill a troll with fire aren't true. I don't know any fire spells." The troll lunged forward and tackled M'Dargo causing him to drop his bow and sent both of them flying through and snapping several small trees. M'Dargo was badly bruised, and cut up by the time the troll pinned him against a tree. His mouth was bleeding, a couple of his ribs must have surely snapped, and his vision kept on fading in and out. One minute there was only blackness, the next there was the troll's hideous face leaning towards him with its awful odor.

Hs vision came back into painful clarity. Something came over M'Dargo just then. Maybe it was some ancient vampire survival instinct or his desperation. Maybe it was a combination of the two. Whatever the cause M'Dargo felt a surge of adrenaline flow through his body, numbing his pain momentarily. His red eyes began to darken and every one of his senses seemed to have sharpened. M'Dargo opened his mouth and snarled, revealing his descended canines. He wasn't going down without a fight. Weeks ago he wouldn't have put up much of struggle. He would have welcomed death. Not anymore. M'Dargo thought of Chirranirr. He had a reason to keep on fighting.

M'Dargo kicked the arm that was pinning him to the tree. With his arm free, he quickly unsheathed his dagger. The troll was once again on the offensive and charged at M'Dargo. M'Dargo quickly spun around out of the way and grabbed the troll's arm. Using the troll momentum against him, M'Dargo slammed the troll bodily into the tree. The tree snapped and the troll fell backwards. M'Dargo slashed the troll's three eyes with his dagger, blinding it. The troll protested in pain and attacked violently. One of his legs caught M'Dargo' paw, breaking it and sending the bloodied dagger spinning and landing blade first into the earth several yards away. M'Dargo winced in pain.

"I guess I'll have to do this the old fashion way," he said as he unsheathed the claws in his left paw. M'Dargo sliced the troll's throat open repeatedly. The creature's cries became watery and eventually stopped. M'Dargo struggled to his feet. His breath came in rapidly and it was painful to breath. He walked over to retrieved his dagger and shakily put in its sheath. M'Dargo limped back to the river. His bow lay on the bank. He tried to retrieve it but the world spun around him, and he could feel himself losing consciousness. M'Dargo collapsed onto the ground.

"M'Dargo!" The voice came from far away. It was gargled and hard to hear. It was like he was underwater. M'Dargo could make out a figure kneeling over him.

"Chirranirr," he whispered softly before his world went black.

_In a dream from M'Dargo's childhood he remembered playing hiding games with his young friends on a warm summer afternoon. M'Dargo hid in his parents' barn; sure he wouldn't be found. Soon, the sweet smell of hay is replaced by a darker, sickly smell. He moved deeper into the barn, only to stumble on the rotting corpses of his parents, their throats ripped out. M'Dargo tried to scream as his parents rose up and pull him into an embrace._

M'Dargo shot up from his bed screaming. He quickly stopped when his ribs protested and fell back to his bed panting. That nightmare signified that he gone advanced a vampirism stage. Sunlight could burn him now.

"M'Dargo!" Chirranirr was by his side in an instant, concern evident in her face. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "You're alive," she choked out. "There were times when I thought you wouldn't make it."

"I'm fine, there's no need to worry," M'Dargo said soothing. Chirranirr shook her head violently.

"Yes there is! What were you thinking taking on a troll by yourself? You could have been killed!" M'Dargo turned away.

"I guess I underestimated my strength."

"Well don't do it again alright," M'Dargo rolled backed onto his back and looked at Chirranirr. Her expression softened. "I don't want to lose you," she said softly running her hand gently through the fur on his head. M'Dargo smiled at her touch. It was so warm and reassuring.

"Where am I?" M'Dargo took in his surroundings they were outside and it was still dark. Chirranirr sighed and sat down next to him.

"Unfortunately we're still on the wrong side of the Panther River. You've been asleep the whole day. That cowardly wood elf wouldn't go back for you. So I just hopped out of the canoe and swam back to the shore. By the time I got there it was already over. Thank you for protecting me though," she said shyly. "What you did was very stupid, but also very brave." Chirranirr leaned over and kissed his cheek. M'Dargo smiled broadly.

"I feel better already." Chirranirr laughed.

"You better take a rain check on that. You should rest here for a while though. You're pretty badly injured. Your hand is broken along with a couple of ribs. You're bruised all over too. I did the best I could with healing potions and restoration spells, but I'm no healer. You should take it easy for a few days."

"Alright, just to tell you I'm a fast healer." It was true. Vampires were very difficult creatures to kill. One of their powers was a faster healing rate. M'Dargo would be fine in a couple days versus several weeks. M'Dargo thought back to their deal with the wood elf.

"It's too bad we wasted our money on that coward. He crumbled when things got a little tough."

"Yes, he's an asshole alright, but I think we might have broken even." M'Dargo gave Chirranirr a confused look.

"I must have been hit on the head harder than I thought; what are you talking about?"

"Here." Chirranirr reached over into her pack and brought a purse. She tossed to M'Dargo who reached up with his good hand and caught it. He opened it up. His eyes widened. There was gold in there! M'Dargo looked up at Chirranirr. She laughed. "When our ferryman refused to go back for you I swiped his purse. We have our money back plus a little extra." M'Dargo frowned.

"You know you'll just be promoting a stereotype." Chirranirr shrugged. M'Dargo gave a small smile. "At least this wasn't completely a waste." Chirranirr stood up.

"Right, I'm going to collect some more firewood for the fire." She pointed at a finger threateningly at M'Dargo. "Don't you dare get out of that bed, or I'll break your tail. Got it?" M'Dargo nodded and lay back down on his bed. Chirranirr walked off into the forest, and M'Dargo kept on watching his hope and light until he couldn't see her anymore.

**A/N: I've packed a lot of fluff into this chapter. One of my concerns is that their relationship might be developing a little too fast. I'll try to spread out more. Tell me what you think. I'll try to figure out a schedule for my next update. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update. I've been really busy with school and I joined the drama club at my school. I'll be in the upcoming reader's theater so I'll have to rehearse. I'm still looking for a Beta Reader. Reviews are my life! I absolutely love them and they motivate me. So don't forget to review!**


	5. A Plunge and a Change of Clothes

**A/N: Currently typing the next chapter in the computer lab during Study hall. Thanks for all the positive reviews! As for that vampiric dream, I just took one of them from the games and changed the tense and person around to fit M'Dargo. I'm going to try to take Chirranirr and M'Dargo's relationship a little more slowly. Let me know how I'm doing, I've never been in a romantic relationship so I wouldn't know. I'm starting to get a little anxious about finding a Beta Reader. I've sent a couple of request but still no replies… **

**Reviews: Baeowulf (via private messaging), firewish325, BloodAndDiamonds, amaliacullen,**

**Favorites: mattson718**

M'Dargo winced as Chirranirr finished bandaging his paw. The binding was tight and secure, but it still pained his broken paw.

"Are you sure you did it right?" M'Dargo asked her anxiously. Chirranirr rolled her eyes.

"Relax, you worry too much. It's done up tightly and the break wasn't too bad. The bones are connected and should heal soon enough, and if you keep on taking those healing potions I make for you; you'll be fine in no time." M'Dargo groaned. Chirranirr's alchemy could use some work. Her potions did work somewhat, but they weren't up to snuff with professional healing potions. Besides, professional healing potions didn't taste horrible or induce nausea. Chirranirr sighed at M'Dargo's reaction.

"Just think of this as punishment, for doing something so stupid without thinking."

"I was thinking that I was going to protect you." Chirranirr leaned against a tree and half closed her eyes.

"I don't need you protecting me M'Dargo. I can take care of myself." M'Dargo grunted as he got to his feet. His ribs were still sore.

"I suppose so. I'm just saying that there are some dangerous things out in this world." _Like me, _M'Dargo thought bitterly. Chirranirr turned toward M'Dargo and placed her hands on her hips.

"I know that. I used to work at an inn. The guests that stayed weren't exactly model citizens. Numeen and I learned how to take care of ourselves." M'Dargo nodded. But what if someone wasn't after alcohol or pleasure? What if they were after blood? M'Dargo quickly got rid of that line of though. No, he would never do that, he would never hurt Chirranirr. She was spirited and witty. She kept him on his toes. It also didn't help he found her attractive. What if that carried over to his bloodlust? M'Dargo sensed it within him. It was placid and tame for now… M'Dargo was terrified of the animal within him. When it reared its head, sure, it was exhilarating, but it always left him feeling drained or empty.

"M'Dargo?" He turned to Chirranirr. She was frowning. "I swear every time I turn around I find you staring off into the distance. What are you think about? Is something wrong?" M'Dargo shook his head and lay back down.

"It's nothing I'm just going to rest for a little longer. Wake me up in an hour?" Chirranirr nodded silently and M'Dargo closed his eyes. Within minutes he was asleep again. Chirranirr slid to the ground and sat against the tree. She watched M'Dargo's limp form, his chest slowly rising and falling with every breath. His tail twitched slightly from side to side. He was dreaming, pleasanter dreams than before hopefully. What could have happened to him that would cause him to wake up screaming?

"M'Dargo," Chirranirr said quietly to herself, "one moment you're naïve and innocent, the next you're so serious and willing to fight a troll single-handedly. I've never met anyone like you before." Chirranirr suddenly smiled and leaned forward so her elbows were propped on her knees. "I wonder what Numeen would think about you? She would probably be talking to me about you all the time. She'd say I finally found a 'decent and respectable mate.'

Chirranirr chuckled softly. She could just see Numeen right now. In her mind's eye Numeen had her arm crossed and was shaking her head at Chirranirr.

"What are you thinking about sweetie? You've got to sink your claws into that male and don't let him get away! That's the way they have to be dealt with. They're wily, but you can tame them with your feminine charms!" A pang went through Chirranirr's heart. She missed Numeen terribly. She should have invited her along. Chirranirr put her face in her heads and groaned. She shouldn't be fretting with the past. Chirranirr would send a letter to Numeen once she had gotten her business started up. Yeah, then she could get Numeen out of that hell hole and come live with her in Cheydinhal.

Chirranirr frowned as she thought about M'Dargo. She turned once more to his sleeping figure. What would happen when they reached Cheydinhal? Chirranirr was confused. All these strange feelings surfaced when she was around him. She felt lighter and happier. It was a little disconcerting. M'Dargo suddenly snored loudly and it broke up Chirranirr's thoughts. She shook her head and closed her eyes. There was a time to cross those bridges, and it wasn't now.

* * *

The leaves blew in the wind gently. From somewhere a crow called out. The well worn path was empty save for one lone figure wrapped in a large cloak, obstructing his face. The figure continued walking along the path and suddenly stopped. Muscles could bee seen tensing underneath the gray cloak. The wind stopped blowing and there was silence.

Something rushed from the side of the road and launched itself at the lone traveler. The figure threw his cloak off of himself with a rustle and turned to face his assailant. The assailant threw him to the ground. Karrod kicked the attacker's legs out from underneath him and pinned him to the ground. Karrod's face quickly turned to disgust. He got back to his feet and rubbed his face wearily with his hands.

"What the hell are you doing Irbran?" The breton just lay on the ground and grinned sheepishly.

"My, my Karrod, You sure are grumpy today! I just wanted to stop by and say hello to an old friend." Karrod sighed and offered Irbran a hand.

"You always did have strange ideas about greetings," Karrod remarked as helped Irbran to his feet. "What are you doing here? What do you want Irbran?" The Breton laughed and started to straighten his curly brown hair.

"You haven't changed a bit since we were kids Karrod. You're always so forward and straight to the point! If you must know, I caught wind of a rumor that you may have located a new target." Karrod walked towards a tree and leaned against it with his back to Irbran.

"Maybe, the reports are a little inconsistent. I don't think I've ever run into one that was a khajiit." Irbran frowned and crossed his arms.

"Are you going to kill it?" Karrod laughed dryly.

"That's a stupid question. Of course I am. We have to put down dangerous beasts like them. It's the only way." Irbran sighed and looked down at the ground. He waited a few moments before speaking, trying to find the right words.

"Karrod… you do know that doing this why bring them back… right?" Karrod whirled around and Irbran flinched at the expression on his face.

"I know that Irbran. I know it better than anybody else," he said with steel in his voice. "I'm doing what I can to exterminate these monsters from the face of the earth. It won't bring them back, but at least they won't have died in vain. At least my life will have some meaning and purpose." Karrod walked over and put his cloak back on. He continued to walk down the road.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"To do my job!" Karrod called over his shoulder. Irbran ran after Karrod and began to walk by his side. Karrod glanced at him

"I'm coming with you. Somebody has to keep you out of trouble." Karrod snorted and looked away.

"What use would you be in a fight anyway?" The Breton did his best to appear offended.

"Just because I can't decapitate a goblin from 20 feet away with a wine opener and slingshot doesn't mean I'm not useful in a fight! As a breton I have a wide variety of magical skills. Maybe not so many offensive ones, but I can still hold my own. Besides, you're going to need somebody to heal you when you get your ass kicked for being too cocky!"

"It was a difficult shot," Karrod murmured to himself. He shook his head and sighed. "Fine, you can tag along for this one mission." Irbran's eyes lit up and his mouth opened. "But keep your talking to a minimum," Karrod added on second thought. Irbran sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine, but we are we going anyway?"

"From the reports I gathered it seems like this vampire is heading north. I hope you know some water walking spells because we're going to have to ford some rivers."

* * *

M'Dargo slowly opened his eyes. He felt refreshed; no nightmares this time. The first thing he noticed was that the sky was lighter and the moons had almost completely set. M'Dargo quickly sat up and ignored the pain that shot through his ribs. The night was almost over. When the sun came up he would burn! "Azura!" he swore underneath his breath. M'Dargo slowly and stiffly began to gather his belongings. There were no structures or ruins to offer him protection from the sun. There were bound to be some across the river. He spied Chirranirr asleep against a tree. Part of his mind thought that she looked so serene and peaceful in her sleep. The other part was cursing her for not waking him up.

"One hour my ass," he muttered. "Chirranirr, wake up!" he shouted. Chirranirr opened her eyes lazily. She stretched her arms and opened her mouth wide and yawned. She began to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"M'Dargo? Sorry, I must have fallen asleep and forgot to wake you."

"That's fine. It doesn't matter now. Get ready, we have to leave now!" M'Dargo said as he shouldered his pack onto his back. Chirranirr frowned and looked at him with confusion.

"What's the rush? Is something wrong?" M'Dargo froze as he placed his quiver on his back. How was he going to explain this? Should he tell her? No the timing wasn't right. M'Dargo was going to tell her when he wanted to, not because of any outside circumstances.

"No!" M'Dargo said shaking his head violently. "Nothing's wrong! I- I - I just… feel that we wasted too much time letting me rest. We should make up for lost time. We're crossing the Panther River right now!"

"What!" Chirranirr shouted wide awake now. "How the hell are we going to do that? The current is too strong. You're the one that said you didn't want to die drowning."

"I also don't want to die from bursting into flames," M'Dargo breathed under his breath.

"Did you say something?" M'Dargo whirled around looking for anything that he may have forgotten.

"No, I didn't say anything," he said half distracted. Okay he had all his belongings. Now they just had to cross the river. Chirranirr stood up and picked up her things and put them away. She smoothed her fur and put on her cloak.

"Alright, if you're in such a hurry we can go. But how are we crossing the river?" M'Dargo scratched his head for a moment. How were they going to cross it? He suddenly turned to Chirranirr with a big grin on his face. Chirranirr gulped and shook her head.

"I don't like the look on your face…"

The waters of the Panther River rushed by the bank swiftly. Branches and stray logs floated along and were whisked out of sight.

"Let me say this one time. This is dangerous, this is crazy, this is stupid, and this could get us killed!" M'Dargo looked over at Chirranirr and chuckled. He was crouched down working on something.

"Relax. I've gone through worse than this and came out in one piece." Chirranirr turned away and her tail flexed angrily.

"Yeah, but not all of us have your incredibly thick skull," she muttered under her breath. "Are you done yet?" she asked him.

"Almost," he replied. "Alright I'm done. Here it is." M'Dargo proudly showed Chirranirr his idea. He had tied a rope tightly around one of his arrows. M'Dargo would shoot the arrow across the river and into a tree. He would then secure the rope to their side of the river and then they could climb across with their heightened acrobatic skills.

"That's your plan, just tight rope walk across the river?" M'Dargo nodded as he stood up and pulled his bow off his back.

"Yes! I don't see you coming up with any great ideas so I think we should try mine." M'Dargo paused and glanced at Chirranirr out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "Unless of course you're scared; I would understand perfectly that you wouldn't want to do this."

"What!" Chirranirr cried out as her fur bristled. She walked up to M'Dargo and poked him hard in the ribs. M'Dargo winced. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tease her like that after all… "I'm not scared at all! You're the one that had doubts before. What's changed your mind now?" _Well Chirranirr, if I don't cross that river and find somewhere to hide out for the day I'll burst into flames. _

"It's not safe out here in the wilderness. We should keep moving. That's all." M'Dargo raised his bow and notched the arrow with the rope attached to it. He pulled backed the arrow and aimed for a tree on the other side of the river. 'Steady does it," he said quietly. M'Dargo released the arrow and it shot swiftly across the river. It embedded itself deep into a willow tree. M'Dargo tugged on the rope several times. The arrow didn't budge. It was secure. M'Dargo turned to Chirranirr and handed her the other end of a rope. "Tie it tightly to a tree."

"Alright," Chirranirr said as she walked over to a tree. She paused and looked over shoulder at M'Dargo. "M'Dargo." He looked up at her. Chirranirr smiled at him and cocked her head to the side. "You're a pretty good shot. You're going to have to teach me how to do that sometime." M'Dargo's face turned red and he turned around to look at the river.

"Um… Sure, I-I guess I could show you some time, I suppose," M'Dargo said as her rubbed the back of his head nervously. Chirranirr laughed. Sometimes it was just too easy to make M'Dargo nervous. Chirranirr tied the rope tightly to the tree, making sure it was taught. It wouldn't be pleasant if they ended up falling in the river because the rope was sagging too low.

M'Dargo looked up at the sky. It was much lighter than the last time he checked. Dawn would break in an hour maybe two. M'Dargo shook his head. He had to stop thinking about that and focusing on finding a place away from the sun. He clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's start crossing." M'Dargo checked that out all of his gear was secure, and then placed a hand on the rope. He flipped himself onto the rope with ease and got into a crouch. M'Dargo's acrobatics and agility had greatly increased since becoming vampire. All khajiit were limber and light on their feet, but M'Dargo could have back flipped his way across the river if he wanted to. He wouldn't do that though. Chirranirr would ask questions.

M'Dargo turned around and saw Chirranirr looking at the rope critically. She frowned and glanced down at her dress. She shook her head. She turned to M'Dargo and called out to him: "I'll never be able to cross that rope with this dress on. I'm going to change into something more comfortable." Chirranirr threw cloak to the ground and began to reach for the buttons on her dress. M'Dargo's mouth dropped open. She wasn't… She couldn't possibly be… As Chirranirr unbuttoned her dress past her shoulders M'Dargo lost his grip on the rope and nearly fell into the river. He was able to hold on by wrapping his arms and legs around the rope. Chirranirr looked up at him curiously.

"Is something wrong M'Dargo," Chirranirr asked innocently.

"Yes! There is something wrong!" M'Dargo yelled at her. "What the hell are you doing?" Chirranirr tilted her head to the side.

"Isn't it obvious? I've packed some extra clothes that are more fitted for hiking out in the wilderness. I wouldn't be able to cross the rope in this dress of mine."

"You could have at least warned me," M'Dargo yelled as his face turned bright red.

"Why? Do you want to watch?" Chirranirr asked with an impish smile. M'Dargo was speechless for a moment before he could regain control of his mouth.

"No I don't want to watch!"

"Why not? Don't you like females? Or do you prefer males?"

"Of course I like females! Why do you always ask such personal questions?" Chirranirr shook her head.

"You're the one that started this conversation. Turn around if you have such a problem." M'Dargo shimmied around so he was facing the opposite direction.

"Fine, I will."

"Good."

"I know it's good."

"Alright, I'm decent, you can look now." M'Dargo turned around. Chirranirr had changed out of her dress into a light blue shirt and tan brown pants. "Is something wrong?" M'Dargo shook his head and looked down .He hadn't realized that he had been staring.

"Nothing's wrong. You just look really nice." Chirranirr blushed.

"It's nothing really. It's just an old outfit I sewed together myself." Chirranirr walked to the bank and the rope. She held onto the rope with one hand and leapt on top of it. Chirranirr spread her arms out and flexed her tail for balance. After a few seconds she got her balance and stopped swaying from side to side. M'Dargo looked back at her to make sure she was alright.

"Let's go then" The two of them began to slowly cross the rope suspended over the Panther River. Occasionally the river would swell up and drench them with water. M'Dargo and Chirranirr growled in annoyance. They could swim, but that didn't mean they had to like water. Besides, the water was freezing, like liquid ice. It was slow going. Each step had to be precise or they would plunge into the river. M'Dargo and Chirranirr crept forward, crawling steadily along; bringing one hand in front of the other followed by a foot.

"I'd like to see some imperial do this in the dark," Chirranirr muttered as a cold wind swept over her. M'Dargo kept one eye on the rope and the other one on the ever lightening sky. They had reached about three quarters of the way when M'Dargo began to wonder what they would do with the rope. They wouldn't be able to untie it at the other end; they might have to leave it. M'Dargo frowned. It was the only rope he had. How were they going to cross other rivers when they came upon them? M'Dargo suddenly heard a faint creaking sound. He tilted his head. What was it? He stopped and turned back to Chirranirr.

"Did you hear that?" he asked her. Chirranirr shook her head.

"I didn't hear anything." The creaking sound came once more, this time louder. Chirranirr's eyes widened. "I can hear it now." They slowly and reluctantly looked behind them. The middle of the rope was tearing. Individual fibers were snapping apart. The section of the rope they were climbing on began to sway and dip dangerously close to the river. M'Dargo and Chirranirr hurried across the rope as fast as they could. M'Dargo stood up and ran; he didn't care if Chirranirr saw him do it anymore. M'Dargo reached the other bank and hopped off. He quickly turned around and saw Chirranirr behind him. She wasn't going to make it! The rope finally gave out and fell apart. Chirranirr plunged into the cold Panther River.

"Chirranirr!" M'Dargo yelled. He leaned over the edge of the bank and scanned the waters anxiously. His Hunter's sight detected a faint bluish outline in the water below. It bobbed up and M'Dargo saw it was Chirranirr. She kept her head above the water as they river began to carry her away.

"M'Dargo!"

"Hold on, I'm coming!" M'Dargo dropped his bag and threw off his shirt. He dived straight into the river. It was _cold. _It took his mind a moment to register anything else but the cold. M'Dargo came back up to the surface and whirled around for Chirranirr. Where was she? He couldn't find her. "Where are you Chirranirr!" M'Dargo called out desperately. M'Dargo began to swim down the river, his broad arms and shoulders propelling him through the water. He had to find her. She couldn't be… There was no way; she was much too stubborn to just give up. The cold began to seep up into M'Dargo's body, wearing him out. Vampires were resilient creatures, but even they began to feel the affects of the elements after a while.

M'Dargo came around a bend in the river. Near a bank a huge tree had spread its roots down to the river to support its enormous thirst. Clinging to one of the roots was Chirranirr. Her eyes were closed and she shivered violently as she held onto the root against the powerful current.

"Chirranirr!" M'Dargo cried out as he swam over to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" Chirranirr opened one of her green eyes tiredly.

"M'Dargo?" she asked confused. M'Dargo nodded happily.

"I'm right here Chirranirr." Chirranirr sighed and closed her eyes.

"Bout time," she muttered quietly. "It took you… long enough- get your lazy ass over here."

"Well I'll just have to get you out of here to make up for being late," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. She was so cold. He would have to get her warm and dry fast. M'Dargo grabbed on to one of the roots and began to pull himself and Chirranirr up the bank of the river. It was hard work. Chirranirr had fallen asleep probably from exhaustion. Eventually M'Dargo was able to claw his way up to the bank. He shifted Chirranirr so she was on his back and began to carry her. M'Dargo couldn't help but smile as Chirranirr's head leaned against the top of his. She was much more peaceful when she wasn't hurling insults or innuendo at him.

M'Dargo went over to his pack and picked it up along with his shirt. Even with his vampiric strength he was reaching his maximum encumbrance. M'Dargo trudged along tiredly with Chirranirr on his back. Every now and then she would shiver and M'Dargo would feel her tremors. "It's alright Chirranirr, you're going to be just fine," he said quietly to himself. M'Dargo wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure Chirranirr or himself. It was probably both. M'Dargo glanced to his right. The sun was slowly rising in the east.

M'Dargo swore. He began to run as fast as he could manage while carrying Chirranirr. He desperately scanned the land looking for somewhere building or ruins, anything that would shield him from the sun's deadly rays. The sun finally caught up to M'Dargo. He stumbled and nearly dropped Chirranirr. M'Dargo got back to his feet and fought a violent nausea that welled up in his throat. He shook his head angrily and gritted his teeth as migraine struck him violently. M'Dargo forced one foot in front of the other and began to stumble forward as quickly as he could. Smoke began to slowly rise off of his skin and into the sky.

_I'm going to die, _M'Dargo thought bitterly. _I'm going to be burnt to a crisp and Chirranirr will wonder what happened to me._ Something gleamed ahead in the field. M'Dargo's red eyes widened and his mouth formed a smile. Ruins! He still had a chance. An old fort that had fallen into disrepair lay a couple hundred yards ahead. M'Dargo began to run as fast as he could to the sanctuary. He stumbled down the steps and gently placed Chirranirr down on the ground. His muscles strained as he opened the large the stone door. M'Dargo brought Chirranirr inside and quickly shut the door behind him, cutting off the light.

M'Dargo sighed in relief as the pain finally stopped and his eyes instantly adjusted to the darkness. He had more pressing matters at hand: Chirranirr. She lay there on the ground, pale and shivering. What should he do? Well, the first thing would be to… to get her out of her wet clothes… M'Dargo's face flushed at the thought. There was no way he could that; but if he didn't she could catch hypothermia. M'Dargo shook his head. First things first, he had to start a fire. M'Dargo found some dry twigs and lumber a little way inside the ruin. He took his kindling and flint from his pack and got a fire going.

M'Dargo took out a sleeping pack and laid Chirranirr gently on top of it. M'Dargo shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt really uncomfortable about this, but he couldn't see any other way. Chirranirr would get sick if she stayed in her soaked clothes. He had to get it done. M'Dargo leaned forward with his eyes half shut and cautiously reached for Chirranirr's shirt. It was ironic. Earlier Chirranirr offered to let him watch while she changed. She was joking, but now it looked like M'Dargo would have his second chance. He turned his head away as he carefully pulled Chirranirr's shirt off and let it hang near the fire and dry.

M'Dargo risked a glance at Chirranirr out of the corner of his eye. The first thing he noticed that she was (thankfully) wearing a breast band. The second thing M'Dargo noticed was, well, what the breast band was covering. Chirranirr was endowed quite well. Her figure was slim and curvy and… M'Dargo shook his head and looked away.

"Get a grip M'Dargo," he muttered to himself. "You're thinking like some kind of pervert."

M'Dargo looked away once more and removed Chirranirr's pants, not allowing his eyes to linger any longer than necessary. M'Dargo let out a sigh of relief. That may have been one of most embarrassing moments of his life. M'Dargo sat down and made sure that Chirranirr was near the fire. The Clan Mother of M'Dargo's tribe had said that the best way to warm up someone who had fallen into freezing water was with body heat. It would be rather awkward to lie down with Chirranirr and warm her up. It was bad enough that he had to undress her. She was never going to let him hear the end of it. Fortunately or unfortunately (it depended on how you looked at it) M'Dargo couldn't do it. Being a vampire meant that he had a very low body temperature. He would only make things worse.

M'Dargo pulled the covers of the sleeping mat over Chirranirr and began to prepare breakfast. M'Dargo whistled old tunes from Elsweyr and muttered songs as he took out a pot and began to prepare a stew. They still had some venison from the deer M'Dargo had brought down. Soon the pleasant aroma of venison began to fill the fort they were in. M'Dargo added some salt to the stew and used a spoon to taste test it.

"It's good but it's missing something. I wonder if I have any other herbs left." M'Dargo went over to his pack to search for them.

Chirranirr shifted slowly in her sleeping mat. She sniffed the air. Something smelled really good and her stomach growled in agreement. Chirranirr opened her eyes. She wasn't outside. No she inside somewhere. A stone roof lined her vision as she rolled over. Wait a minute. Where were her clothes! Chirranirr bolted upright, clutching to the covers to her chest. M'Dargo was by the fire hovering over a pot. He glanced back at her and smiled.

"Good you're awake. This stew will be done in a few minutes. You should eat some and warm yourself up." Chirranirr looked at M'Dargo sharply.

"M'Dargo," she said slowly. "Where are my clothes?" M'Dargo blushed and quickly turned away.

"Oh… Um, you see, they were wet, so I… I'm drying them by the fire. They're still damp so you should probably change into something else. Here you can wear some of mine until they dry completely." M'Dargo tossed some of his clothes at Chirranirr and then bent intently over the pot as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"M'Dargo?"

"Yes," he replied as he furiously stirred the pot in an effort to hide his embarrassment.

"Thank you for saving me. I guess we're even now." M'Dargo smiled and turned around.

"Well, I guess you're- Chirranirr!" Chirranirr was in the process of pulling one of M'Dargo's shirts over her head. She blinked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I told you to warn me if you're changing!" Chirranirr tilted her head at M'Dargo.

"It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before. You took off my clothes earlier." M'Dargo shook his head.

"That was different. Your clothes were completely soaked, and you could have gotten sick. I had to do it. Besides I got it over with quickly and didn't linger." Chirranirr laughed as she pulled the shirt over her head. She stood up to pull a pair of pants on. M'Dargo covered his eyes and looked away. This just caused Chirranirr to smirk. Chirranirr sat down by the fire with M'Dargo as he ladled out some stew for her.

"You're not like any other male I've met M'Dargo," she said as she looked him the eye. "Any guest at the Drunken Dragon Inn wouldn't have hesitated to take advantage of me in such a state. But you didn't. I feel like I can trust you M'Dargo." Chirranirr blew softly on her stew and carefully placed a mouthful in her mouth. She looked back at M'Dargo to see him looking down with an odd expression on his face. Was it…guilt?

"That's means a lot to me Chirranirr," he said quietly. "I hope I can be worthy of such trust," M'Dargo said as he stirred his bowl of stew. Chirranirr dug in to her stew and ate it as fast she could without burning her mouth.

"You haven't given me reason not to," she said lightly between spoonfuls. M'Dargo smiled wearily and began to eat.

"I guess I haven't" They ate in a comfortable silence for a while. Chirranirr spoke up.

"You know what would go great with this? I think I have some roots in my pack that would really spice it up." Chirranirr reached over to her pack and pulled them out and examined them. "They're a little damp, but they're going into the stew anyway." Chirranirr pulled out her dagger and began to slice them up. "Wait until you taste this. I've learned a few things working in the kitchens and- Ow!" Chirranirr looked down at her finger. "Dammit I cut my finger," she muttered. A bowl smashed. Chirranirr looked up at M'Dargo.

"M'Dargo?" M'Dargo was struggling to control his breathing which was coming in gasps. He coughed violently and clenched his hands so tightly that his knuckles showed. It was taking all of his self control to not throw himself at Chirranirr. His eyes glowed a brighter red as another convulsion hit him. M'Dargo's bloodlust was welling up, clawing at his will. He had to get away from her before he lost control.

"Are you alright?" M'Dargo got to his feet and backed away slowly.

"Yes, I'm fine." He managed to croak out. M'Dargo's canines began to descend and he quickly shut his mouth. Chirranirr frowned at him.

"You're not afraid of a little blood are you?" M'Dargo would have laughed if the situation weren't so serious. He shook his head and turned away.

"I think I heard something up ahead. You stay here and I'll go check it out." M'Dargo took off running, leaving Chirranirr by the fire and very confused.

**A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. School has been a real hassle lately. Don't forget to review! Tell me what you think of the latest developments and I'm always open to ideas. I live for reviews so tell me if you liked it or not. If you didn't like it, tell me why and what I can do to improve. I'll try to set a stricter update schedule to once a week instead of once a month. Until next time!**


	6. Promises

**A/N: Working hard to try and get a regular update schedule. I'm aiming to update once every weekend but you know how school is sometimes. Big thanks to my new Beta Reader, Ravenwolfsbane! That's right I finally found one. Seriously, go to her profile and check out some of her stories. Once again, I do not own Oblivion or any of the Elder Scroll games. **

**Reviews: BloodAndDiamonds, Baeowulf (via email), Ravenwolfsbane**

**Favorites: mALX, Baeowulf **

The ruins were dark and eerie. Every breath taken seemed to echo and reverberate menacingly. A draft blew through and made the cobwebs dance and sway. A figure was running as fast as he could, stumbling every now and then. M'Dargo leaned against a wall panting heavily as he tried to get a hold of himself. His paws clenched against the ruins' dark walls so hard that bits of stone began to crack and shatter. M'Dargo looked at himself in a puddle that had formed on the ground. He looked feral. His fur was bristled, his fangs gleamed, and his eyes glowed red. M'Dargo brought his fist down and smashed the puddle, disrupting the image. He was a monster.

M'Dargo wearily slid to the ground and sighed. He had nearly attacked Chirranirr! A little blood was spilled and all logic and reason was thrown to the wind. M'Dargo reached into his shirt and pulled out his bronze amulet. He clutched it tightly to his chest. The bloodlust had never welled up on him that fast before. Besides, he was only at the second level of vampirism. He shouldn't need feeding at all for a few more days at the very least. Why did it come on so fast? M'Dargo laughed bitterly.

"It's not like I can ask another vampire for advice on this sort of thing." M'Dargo wanted nothing to do with them. He hated them for what they had done to his father… and what they had done to him. In a way M'Dargo hated himself as well. M'Dargo scooped some water from the puddle into his hands and splashed his face. The coldness of the water was reassuring. M'Dargo stood back up and looked back toward the direction he had come. He should go back to Chirranirr; she was in no condition to be left alone. She could become sick, and he would have to tend to her. M'Dargo couldn't shake the thought that Chirranirr would be safer without him.

M'Dargo's ears perked as he heard something approaching. He turned around and sniffed the air. Yes, it was Chirranirr's scent all right. M'Dargo resisted the tempting urge to keep on running, to just wander further into the ruins and disappear for good. M'Dargo tucked his amulet back under his shirt and turned around to face Chirranirr. Chirranirr approached him, still wearing his clothes.

"It's about time I found you. Why did you run off like that? Something's wrong isn't it?" M'Dargo looked down and shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong."

"I don't like being lied to, M'Dargo," Chirranirr said crossing her arms and frowning at him. M'Dargo raised his paws in protest.

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, but you're not exactly telling the truth either. I'm getting the feeling that there's something you're not telling me."

"I just have issues with blood, that's all. It's nothing I can't handle." There, that wasn't a lie. It was the truth. It might be intentionally misleading but it was still the truth. Except maybe for the last part, but M'Dargo wasn't about to let that become an issue. He had been fighting his newfound nature for months now and he didn't intend to give up, especially now that he was traveling with Chirranirr.

"I didn't know that you were so squeamish." M'Dargo had to restrain himself from chuckling at the irony.

"Well I'm fine now. I just needed to get some air." M'Dargo gently grabbed Chirranirr by the arm and began to lead her back to the entrance where their fire was. "Come on, you shouldn't be over here in the cold. You need to be by the fire warming up." Chirranirr wrapped her arm around M'Dargo's and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked.

"I'm not a baby you know," Chirranirr said looking up at M'Dargo. M'Dargo looked down at her and smiled, warmth spreading through his cool body from her touch.

"Just think of this as payback for all those disgusting healing potions you made me take."

"They aren't that bad," Chirranirr muttered disgruntled.

"Well, maybe we can brew some up and you can try your own medicine and see how you like it."

* * *

Karrod marched steadily through the forest with Irbran following him. The Breton looked uncomfortable and opened and closed his mouth several times before speaking.

"Karrod, why-"

"Shut up"

"I was just-"

"I thought I told you to shut up." Irbran through his hands in the air and groaned dramatically. He shook his head back and forth stubbornly.

"I can't help it if I like to talk. Not everybody can be as antisocial and quiet as you are. I survive on attention and right now I'm starving!" Karrod looked over his shoulder at Irbran.

"Well you can starve for all I care. Our deal was that you could tag along _if _you stayed quiet. If you don't shut your trap I will tie you up and hang you from a tree by your toes! Understand?" The breton mumbled and played with a loose thread on his shirt.

"I'll take that as a yes." They continued to travel in silence once more. It was a beautiful late autumn day. Winter was quickly coming and the wind blew fierce and cold. Karrod ignored the beautiful scenery. He was completely focused on his goal.

"Karrod?"

"Hmm?"

"What's the plan once we find this vampire?" Karrod sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Well you wouldn't know since you've never been on a field mission before, have you? You've just stayed behind at headquarters." Irbran nodded.

"I though my talents were best suited for there."

"Well," Karrod began. "If we can help, it we're going after this vampire during the day. He'll be holed up in some cave or fort. If we need to retreat, he won't be able to follow us out into the sun. I'll sneak up on him and get in a preemptive strike. After that I'll hit him with fire and silver," Karrod said as he placed his hand on his sword hilt.

"What about me?"

"You? Just stay out of the way and try not to get hurt."

"That's not fair! I want to help! I know some defensive magic that will come in handy." Karrod shrugged.

"Maybe… If you want to be helpful you can hold these." Karrod tossed several potions to Irbran. The breton nearly dropped them but managed to keep them from shattering upon the ground. Irbran looked at Karrod curiously.

"What are these?"

"Those are potions to cure diseases. We're going up against a vampire. Any wound he may inflict upon us can transfer his disease. If we contract Porphyric Hemophilia we'll become a vampire within three days." Karrod turned around to make sure Irbran was listening to him. "If that happens, we'll need to drink these potions. Don't lose them," he said sternly.

"Yes, yes, I understand," Irbran said quickly. "I know this is a dangerous business, but I want a little more excitement in my life." Irbran grinned. He jumped onto Karrod's back and wrapped his arms around Karrod's neck. "I also get the chance to spend some time with an old friend of mine. Somebody has to keep you from becoming too bitter and a stick in the mud." Karrod shrugged Irbran off and he landed hard on his butt.

"Ow! What was that for?" Karrod grinned.

"If I recall correctly, you used to pull that stunt on me all the time when we were kids. That has been, is, and always will be my response. Now come on. We're burning daylight."

* * *

M'Dargo helped Chirranirr sit down by the fire. She was unsteady and clung to his arm as he gently sat down with her. Chirranirr covered her mouth and let out a rasping cough followed by a low moan. Chirranirr grimaced. M'Dargo sighed.

"Now look what you've done. You've gotten sick. You should have just stayed by the fire." Chirranirr frowned and turned to M'Dargo.

"It wasn't my fault. You're the one that just took off."

"I just needed some air."

"You told me you heard something. Which was it?"

"Um… both. I thought I heard something and I was about to…" M'Dargo hesitated for a moment as he remembered how good Chirranirr's blood had smelled. How sweet it must taste. M'Dargo shook his head. He was not about to start thinking like that. "Vomit," he said a few seconds later. Chirranirr didn't seem to notice M'Dargo's lapse in the conversation. The room appeared to be spinning around her.

"I don't feel well," she said leaning against M'Dargo. M'Dargo put his hand on her forehead. It was hot.

"That's because you're burning up. You have a fever."

"Your hand is really cold. Did you know that?" Chirranirr said drowsily. M'Dargo gave a small smile as he helped Chirranirr over to the sleeping bed fold.

"Yeah, I've known that for a while. Now you need to rest up and get better," he said softly and soothingly. "I didn't freeze my tail of in the river just for you to get sick. You have to get better. Understand?" Chirranirr nodded weakly as M'Dargo helped her lay down on the bed fold and pulled the covers over her. M'Dargo was about to get up and leave when Chirranirr's hand shot and grabbed his hand. He looked down at her in surprise. M'Dargo couldn't tell from her flushed face, but was she blushing? Chirranirr refused to meet his eyes. She was silent for several seconds before speaking.

"M'Dargo." He nodded slowly. "Could you… Could you just stay here a little while? Just until I fall asleep?" M'Dargo looked down at her and didn't have the heart to say no.

"Of course." Chirranirr lay back on the bed roll and stared up at the ceiling of the fort, her eyes drooping and threatening to close. She still held M'Dargo's hand and he gave it a gentle squeeze to reassure her.

"My mother always used to sing to me when I was sick," Chirranirr said suddenly.

"Mine did to." Chirranirr rolled over to face M'Dargo.

"Well, why don't you sing something?" M'Dargo leaned back in surprise.

"What? Me sing something? I'm a terrible singer. I don't even know any songs." Chirranirr began to swing their hands back and forth. She looked him in the eye and pouted.

"Come on M'Dargo…" She broke off coughing. "Please?" M'Dargo sighed. How did she always seem to talk into things he didn't want to do. It must be a gift. Or maybe he was just weak. Either way M'Dargo began to clear to his throat. He looked at Chirranirr and held up a finger.

"On one condition. No laughing. Understand?" Chirranirr lay back down on the bed roll.

"I'll laugh if I see fit." M'Dargo groaned and shook his head. There was just no winning with her. He took a deep breath. What should he sing? Something about Elsweyr, the beautiful winding deserts and pure blue sky. M'Dargo glanced at Chirranirr out of the corner of his eye. She looked at him expectantly and gave his hand a squeeze. M'Dargo closed his eyes and began to sing.

_The desert stretches and swells. The sands of time come tumbling down._

_The wind blows; the lizards run. Above all else is the wondrous sun_

_The grass is pale, flowing in the breeze. The flowers bloom and bring scented ease._

_But that doesn't matter to me at all. I hurry on as I seek your call._

_Through the freezing nights and the burning days,_

_I'm running towards you. A vision of you fills my mind with a haze._

_We've been apart for so long_

_I wonder how well we've carried on_

_Without you by me I feel like a piece is missing from me_

_You're reason I'll trudge through this deserty sea._

_I won't stop until we're reunited_

_When You and I become We._

M'Dargo stopped singing and looked at Chirranirr. She was fast asleep. M'Dargo reluctantly released her hand and tucked her in firmly. Chirranirr began to stir and whimper in distress. She must have been having a bad dream. M'Dargo placed his cool hand upon her forehead, and she immediately calmed. M'Dargo smiled with a certain kind softness in his eyes. Why did he feel such tenderness and protectiveness to her? Why would he do anything to hear her laugh or make some sarcastic comment towards him?

_It's because you're falling for her you idiot!_, a part of his brain pointed out. M'Dargo froze with the realization. He _was_ falling for her. He had only known her for a handful days and she already was claiming his heart, his cold, dead heart. This wasn't good. No, this wasn't good at all. M'Dargo was a vampire. Chirranirr was just a normal khajiit. It could never work out between them. He would constantly put her in danger. What was to stop him from suddenly losing control of himself and attacking her like he had almost done earlier? He had taken innocent lives before.

M'Dargo looked down at Chirranirr peacefully sleeping. She looked so unworried and at ease. If only he could share some of that certainty and serenity. M'Dargo spent the rest of the day tending to Chirranirr. He didn't try to sleep at all. The nightmares would come for him and M'Dargo wasn't particularly eager for an elevation of his vampirism level. The sun had begun to set by the time Chirranirr began to stir once more. M'Dargo had a risked a glance outside after he deemed that it seemed safe. Chirranirr yawned loudly and stretched her arms. She mumbled and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Good morning. Or should I say good evening?" Chirranirr sat up and began to lick her fur into some semblance of order.

"I'm like a vampire. Sleeping all day and waking up at night." The expression of unease on M'Dargo's face was frozen, and he scratched his head and laughed nervously.

"Yes, just like a…-vampire. Do you feel any better?" Chirranirr stood up and stretched once more.

"Yes, I feel much better now. I should be able to travel now."

"Are you sure?" Chirranirr glared at M'Dargo irritably.

"I think I know my own limits, M'Dargo." M'Dargo shrugged.

"Okay, but just remember that when you reach them, it will be me that will have to take care of you again."

"Of course, whatever you say." Chirranirr walked over to the fire where her clothes lay dried. She turned to M'Dargo. "Turn around. I'm changing into some of my clothes, and I know that you're such a big prude." M'Dargo dutifully turned around and stared at the decrepit wall of the fort.

"Was that supposed to be an insult? There are worse things in this world than being prude."

"Yes, you're one in a million M'Dargo," Chirranirr said as she changed her breast band and pulled one of her shirts over her head. After a while, Chirranirr finished.

"Alright I'm done. Turn around if you want." M'Dargo turned around and looked at Chirranirr with a smile. Azurah she was beautiful! Chirranirr had changed into a dark brown shirt and a pair of leggings that hugged and accented her many curves. She leaned against the wall and looked at M'Dargo curiously.

"What's that look on your face for?"

"Nothing, I'm just glad you're alright, that's all." Chirranirr walked over and picked up her pack and swung it over her shoulder.

"Now you know what I had to go through after you fought that troll. I didn't know if you were going to liver or die." M'Dargo had begun to put out the fire and pack up camp. He glanced up at Chirranirr.

"I told you I'm made of stern stuff. It would take a lot more than a troll to kill me."

"Yeah, well I didn't know that okay!" Chirranirr yelled angrily. M'Dargo stopped what he was doing and looked at her surprised. "I- I didn't know if you were going to live or die," she said shakily. M'Dargo stood up and walked over to her. He tilted her head up so she was looking up at him.

"I promise to never scare you like that again," he told her seriously. "Understand?" Chirranirr nodded. M'Dargo's good natured smile broke out. "Good, let's finish packing up. We're burning moonlight." The two of them resumed packing up their temporary camp and soon they were ready to continue their journey. M'Dargo was about to shift the heavy stone door opened when Chirranirr walked up to him and stopped him.

"Allow me." M'Dargo looked at her dubiously.

"Are you sure you can open that? It's heavy."

"I can handle it." And with that Chirranirr gripped the edge of the door and began to pull. Slowly but surely the door slid open exposing the night sky. Chirranirr turned to M'Dargo and smiled at his dumbstruck face. "I told you I could do it. Let's go." Chirranirr began to climb up the stairs and M'Dargo followed her. They set off north once more. M'Dargo pulled out his worn map and began to examine it.

"It looks like we're going to have to cross the Silverfish and the Reed Rivers before we reach Cheydinhal.

"Can't we just go around them?" Chirranirr asked. M'Dargo frowned.

"It doesn't seem like we can." M'Dargo showed her the map. "See, if we try to go around the rivers we'll end up in the Valus Mountains, which will slow us down even more."

"Fine, it looks like we're dealing with rivers again. You better come up with a better method to cross them. I don't wan to end up falling in again." M'Dargo took back his map and rolled it up. He stored it back in his pack.

"We'll maybe you should come up with an idea. My idea might have worked if we had gone one by one. Our combined weight must have caused it to break.

"You wouldn't happen to have any more rope, would you?" M'Dargo sighed and shook his head.

"It's still tied to that tree by the river and I don't have anymore."

"Maybe we could buy a water walking potion from someone."

"Where we would we find someone in the middle of the wilderness?" Chirranirr shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm just coming up with ideas." M'Dargo sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Speaking of ideas," he said, "I think we should travel by night now instead of by day." Chirranirr looked at him confused.

"Why?"

"Well," M'Dargo began, "I think it might actually be safer to travel by night. We can both see in the dark perfectly and that will give us an advantage over anyone else out there." Chirranirr frowned as she considered M'Dargo's words. It didn't make complete sense; M'Dargo was hiding something.

"Why should we travel at night? Isn't that when most bandits and highwaymen are about?"

"True, but you already slept all day. We don't want to upset your body's clock by forcing you."

"I'm not a delicate little trinket that will crack under the tiniest bit of stress, but if you think it's so important then we can travel by night." M'Dargo nodded pleased. He didn't think it would be that easy. He'd been sure Chirranirr would ask him tons of-

"What are you hiding M'Dargo?" M'Dargo was startled and tripped over a root and landed face first onto the ground. He rolled on his back and looked at Chirranirr nervously.

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" Chirranirr walked over to him and offered a hand which M'Dargo gratefully accepted. They continued their journey.

"Well, for one thing, there was your spectacular reaction when I mentioned it."

"I just tripped, that's all," M'Dargo said as he picked up a slightly quicker pace. Chirranirr stepped along to match his stride.

"What is the real reason you want to travel at night? Are you on the run? Is somebody chasing you?"

"Nobody's chasing me! Just forget it!" Chirranirr's tail flexed angrily as she gritted her teeth.

"Fine, I just figured that since we're traveling together I was owed the truth. I haven't kept anything from you," she shouted accusingly. M'Dargo stopped walking his shoulders were hunched up. He took a deep breath and turned to face Chirranirr. She gasped at his expression. It was so serious. M'Dargo's pale face was lined and his weary eyes seemed to be begging her. What they wanted she didn't know. M'Dargo looked Chirranirr in the eye. Crimson eyes met green eyes and they locked. The air filled with tension.

"I promise to explain everything once we reach Cheydinhal. Do you think you can trust me until then?" Chirranirr looked down at and bit her lip. They were many reasons why she shouldn't trust him. There were even more reasons why she should trust him. He had saved her life more than once and stayed by her side and nursed her back to health. A less logical part of herself told her that she should trust him, as absurd as it sounded. Chirranirr looked up at M'Dargo, having come to a decision.

"I suppose I can wait until we get to Cheydinhal to hear everything." M'Dargo sighed relieved. Unfortunately it was short lived. Chirranirr reached out and grabbed his paw and held it tightly in her own. She marveled at the coolness and the strength she could feel in it. "You're going to have to swear to me that you will explain everything. Do you have anything to swear on?" M'Dargo reached under his shirt and pulled out his bronze amulet in the shape of the moon. He laid it carefully where their paws were joined. Chirranirr looked at him curiously.

"What's this?"

"My parents had this made when I was born. It shows the cycle of the moon during the day of my birth. I've worn it ever since." Chirranirr reached out with fingers to examine it but hesitated. She looked at M'Dargo who nodded slowly. Her fingers traced the fine craftsmanship of the amulet.

"It's beautiful, she said softly.

"Thank you. Now, I swear on this amulet that I will explain everything once we get to Cheydinhal, alright?" Chirranirr nodded and M'Dargo took the amulet back and put it around his neck and slid it underneath his shirt. "Well, let's get going." M'Dargo and Chirranirr continued to walk along the path. The path wasn't really a path. It had been a deer track that had been treaded on by so many hunters that the ground had become flattened. The forest threatened to engulf the path once more; the edges were rough and erratic and sometimes they lost sight of it. Time and time again M'Dargo and Chirranirr had to pause to figure out what direction the trail led.

"I think we might be lost," Chirranirr said as they stopped once again to try and pick out the path from all the underbrush. M'Dargo and crouched down to the ground and sniffed the air. He reached down and took a handful of dirt into his hand and let it run through his fingers, examining and feeling the texture. Chirranirr also peered ahead and sniffed the air. "I think we should go this way," she said pointing off the worn trail and into the forest. M'Dargo stood beside her and frowned.

"I think we might have come to a dead end. I can't pick out the trail anymore."

"Well this direction is just as good as any other. Once we get out of the forest we can orientate ourselves north again," she explained reasonably." M'Dargo nodded in agreement. They needed to get of the forest if they were ever to find their direction again. They proceeded from the end of the trail and began to walk through the forest. It was slow going. The underbrush scraped them and clung to their clothes. Much to Chirranirr's amusement she had to help M'Dargo untangle himself from a bush while he grumbled indignantly.

"Damn thorns! Why am I always getting caught in them?" Eventually the forest began to disperse and became thinner. The edge of a field could be seen just ahead.

"It's about time!" Chirranirr exclaimed as she ran forward. M'Dargo ran after her.

"Chirranirr, wait for me." Up ahead, M'Dargo could detect the faint outlines of several creatures hovering in the air. This wasn't good. "Chirranirr, stop!" M'Dargo hissed as loudly as he dared. Chirranirr glanced over her shoulder but it was too late. She had broken out of the forest and had alerted several imps. They all turned to look at her and leered with their ragged rows of teeth. Chirranirr sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"This just doesn't seem to be my day today." M'Dargo finally reached the edge of the forest.

"Chirranirr get back!" he shouted. Chirranirr glanced at M'Dargo and just smiled and winked at him. Chirranirr laughed at M'Dargo's astonished look.

"Relax M'Dargo, I can handle them myself." One of the imps cast a frost spell at Chirranirr. M'Dargo was about to open his mouth to shout a warning but soon found that it wasn't necessary. Chirranirr had already spun out of the way and the spell had missed her. She ran forward and lashed out with a powerful kick that stunned the imp. It began to waver and lose height. Chirranirr seized the opportunity and grabbed the imp by its small head and slammed it bodily into the ground. Chirranirr spun around and with a yell she unsheathed her claws and slashed at the other imp. The imp fell as blood spurted from its wound. Another imp rushed forward and attempted a melee attack which Chirranirr merely blocked with her paws and brought both fists over it with a power attack.

The last imp began to conjure a fireball. Chirranirr was unaware, still bent over the body of the last imp she had killed. Chirranirr whirled around just in time to see the imp hurl the fireball at her. Her green eyes widened in shock and hint a fear could be seen in them. M'Dargo quickly ran and put himself in between Chirranirr and the fireball. The fire hit him and burned the right side of his torso. M'Dargo bit back the incredible pain and whipped out his dagger and stabbed the imp. The imp cried out and fell to the ground lifeless.

M'Dargo sat down and tried to ignore the pain that shot up his body. Along with being burned in sunlight, vampires were also particularly vulnerable to fire. Chirranirr ran over and knelt beside him.

"M'Dargo, are you alright?" M'Dargo shrugged his shoulders.

"It was just a small burn; it's nothing. Now you were amazing out there! Taking out all of those imps with such skill and grace. Where did you learn to do that?"

"Un-cooperating patrons of the tavern," Chirranirr replied distracted, as she examined M'Dargo's wound. M'Dargo winced as her fingers gently prodded his burnt flesh. "It did me little good though. I would have been in trouble if you hadn't shown up in time."

"Hey, everybody makes mistakes sometimes and everybody needs a little help sometimes."

"I suppose you're right," Chirranirr mused. "Alright, take off your shirt." M'Dargo's eyes widened and he scooted back several inches.

"What?"

"M'Dargo, stop thinking dirty thoughts. I just need to examine your burn."

"I wasn't thinking anything dirty!" M'Dargo protested loudly. Chirranirr laughed softly.

"I know; I just love seeing you get so flustered. You're very modest. Now, take it off." M'Dargo sighed and reluctantly removed his shirt. Chirranirr gasped. His fur had been singed off and leaving a blackened burn. It had to be a third degree burn.

"M'Dargo," Chirranirr said concerned, "this looks really bad. That fireball should not have been strong enough to do this kind of damage." M'Dargo averted his eyes.

"That imp just must have been stronger than we thought; that's all." Chirranirr had sinking suspicion that there was more to it than that but she decided not to press him any further, at least for now.

"Hold still. I'll do what I can for you." Chirranirr placed both of her hands on the burn and M'Dargo did his best not whimper in pain. Chirranirr's hand began to glow pale white as she began to perform a restoration spell. Slowly, the wound began to heal. Sweat began to run down Chirranirr's brow and she began to pant with the effort of maintaining the spell. Eventually she stopped and tried to catch her breath. She was spent and had used up all of her magica. "I'm sorry; that's the best I can do." M'Dargo glanced down at his burn that was significantly better. The swelling had gone down and the redness had already begun to fade. M'Dargo put a hand on Chirranirr's shoulder.

"It's fine. Like I said, I'm a fast healer and I should be able to handle the rest of the restoration by myself." Chirranirr frowned and rested her head on her hand.

"I suppose I could whip a couple more healing potions…" M'Dargo paled as much as was possible for a vampire and gulped nervously.

"No! No! That won't be necessary. See I'm fine." M'Dargo stood up and began to jump up down to prove his point. Chirranirr threw his shirt at his face in reply.

"You're taking your medicine. No excuses. Maybe it will teach you to be less reckless. Do you have a death wish or something?" M'Dargo pulled the shirt back over his head and slid it on.

"No," he said slowly. "I don't have a death wish." He paused and looked over at Chirranirr as she picked her pack up from the ground. "Not anymore I don't," he whispered under his breath.

**A/N: And there we have it. Bear with the slow pace. I'm setting things up and developing M'Dargo, Chirranirr, and their relationship. I want to make things realisticish. I'm thinking of dedicating a chapter to Karrod; a flashback to develop his character and learn more about him and why he is the way he is. Don't forget to review!**


	7. A Visit to the Past

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! Really sorry for not updating sooner. I'll get better at that. Only seven more hours until school is over and I can write to my heart's content! In this chapter I'm going to be focusing on Karrod because he has the potential to become a good character and needs a little more screen time. Once again I got to give props to my Beta Reader Ravenwolfsbane. **

**Reviews: BloodAndDiamonds, Ravenwolfsbane, Baeowulf (via email)**

Karrod came out of the forest and stood at the sandy banks of the river. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, taking in all the sounds and smells of the night. The water gurgled and rushed, splashing against rocks and sending foam into the air. The faint smell of pine and oak drifted faintly in the air. Nothing could ruin the rare moment of peace that he had found.

"Karrod!" Karrod sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily.

"I knew it was too good to last." Irbran ran up to him and leaned his hands against his knees, panting heavily. He looked up and raised a finger, and was about to speak when another wave of coughing and gasping for breath came over him. Karrod rolled his eyes and looked away. That man seriously needed to get a little more exercise.

"Yes, Irbran, what is it?" Karrod asked tiredly. Irbran finally seemed to regain his composure. He stood at his full height and looked Karrod in the eye, which was hard to due because Irbran only came up to Karrod's shoulder.

"You need to slow down. This pace is killing me. I need to take a rest." Karrod shook his head.

"Lives will be lost if they don't take this beast down!"

"My life will also be lost if we don't take a break," Irbran exclaimed. "I'm about to kneel over. Bretons just don't have the level of stamina you redguards have.

"We can't slow down! We're on the trail of a target. Every second we waste he gets farther and farther away. We can't afford to waste any more time." Irbran's heavy breathing finally slowed and became regular. He walked up to Karrod and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Why don't we compromise? We take a little break for me to rest up and you can plan out your strategy. This isn't something you want to rush into is it?" Irbran said appealing to Karrod's logic. The redguard frowned as he considered it. His old master had always said that fools rush in and wise men proceed with caution. Karrod sighed.

"I suppose we can stop for an hour." Irbran's face lit up and he was about to open his mouth when Karrod interrupted him. "But if we lose this vampire I'm blaming you. Understand?" Irbran nodded unperturbed.

"I think I'll be able to live with myself if that happens." The two of them sat down on the river bank. Irbran lay down on the soft ground with his hands behind his head and huge grin on his face. He looked up at the stars that dotted the sky. Karrod was looking over his maps. He had started a fire and used the faint light it provided to read his maps. The fire wasn't big; they didn't want to attract any attention. Irbran suddenly sat up and looked over at Karrod hunched over his maps.

"Karrod?"

"Hmmm?"

"What happened to you? You weren't always this cold and cavalier. Sure you were a little distant and silent but never to this extent." Karrod looked down at his map but wasn't really taking in the landscape it described.

"Are you asking about what happened eight years ago?" Irbran opened his mouth and closed it. He nodded slowly.

"I am."

"I'm sure you've heard the rumors that got spread around the Guild." Irbran looked uneasy and began to comb his hair with his fingers.

"Why yes, I suppose I have, but you know what they say about rumors: you can't trust them more than you can throw a Minotaur," Irbran babbled. "You don't have to tell me of course, but I'm hear if you want somebody to talk to-"

"Irbran." Karrod turned to face him, his face was grim and lines ran along his forehead. "I don't think you'd be a good listener, what with all your constant chatter. But if you want, I can tell you what happened."

"Karrod…" Irbran said softly

"I mean after all, what are friends for?" Karrod said with a hint of a smile upon his lips.

"Exactly!" Irbran said as he took a seat opposite of the fire Karrod sat by. Karrod sighed.

"I suppose it started when I received this message from the council…"

* * *

_8 Years Ago…_

Karrod walked up the well-worn path with a piece of parchment clenched in his hand. It was from the council. They wanted to speak to him, and he wondered what it could be about. Although he hadn't done anything wrong, Karrod began to feel guilty. Were they going to punish him? No that was ridiculous, unless Irbran had somehow dragged his name into that little incident that had happened a week ago.

Karrod had known Irbran since they were children. The thing about Irbran was that he had very mischievous streak. Whether it was belongings disappearing, ink bottles spilling over, or buckets of water or various other liquids being placed on top of doors, there was a good chance that Irbran had a hand in it. One of these days, the council was going to come down hard on that Irbran. Irbran's master certainly didn't seem to; he just let him run wild. Karrod could see the fort upon the hill slowly coming into view.

The fort commanded a view of many miles and surveyed the land around it like a protector. The stones were worn but serviceable. Repairs had to be constantly made, but other than that, it was a solid fort. Extending off of the fort were other buildings such as stables, farms, supply buildings, armories, and practice grounds. Karrod came upon the steel gate that surrounded the fort and its surrounding area. Karrod nodded to the sentry on duty looking down at him from the roof of the fort. Karrod whispered a few words under his breath and opened the gate. Anyone who didn't know the password and attempted to enter would be blasted back by enchanted fire, a necessary precaution.

Karrod opened the door of the fort and walked in. He was hit by the pleasant scent of something cooking. What was it? Roasted boar? Lamb perhaps? Several veterans sat in chairs by the fireplace, reading and discussing books.

"I'm telling you Vinnus, I just don't understand why they allow him to be the Count of Skingrad. He's a vampire and both you and I know it!" The other man nodded grimly. An eye patch covered his right eye and his grey hair was pulled back in a warrior's tail.

"It doesn't matter that we know it Tyronius. The damn Mages Guild is interfering. Why can't they mind their own business? They can burry their noses in spell books while we actually do something that needs to be done. I'd like to see one magician attempt half of what I've done and come back and say that an alliance with a vampire is a good idea." The other man nodded in agreement

"Strange times we're living in, ain't it?" Karrod bowed respectfully to the two veterans and continued on, stopping by the kitchens. There was a great commotion and bustle of activity as people rushed about preparing dinner. Steam rose from pots of hot curry and women skillfully prepared the salad. A chef turned a huge boar on the fire pit slowly, carefully gauging its process. It looked chaotic but there was a certain unity to it.

"Karrod! What are you doing here? Dinner isn't ready yet." Karrod whirled around and let out a sigh of relief as he saw it was Ondi. The nord was carrying a basket of potatoes and she set them aside to look down at Karrod. Karrod was tall but even he was dwarfed by Ondi. Ondi frowned down at him with her hands on her hips but Karrod didn't worry. Ondi may look intimidating but she had a big soft spot. She had been looking out for him ever since he came to headquarters. Whether it was slipping him snacks or mending his clothes, she was like a surrogate mother to him.

"I just wanted to stop by and say hello, that's all." Ondi's gaze softened. She glanced around discreetly and reached over to a basket of rolls. She pushed one Karrod's hand. It was still warm.

"Now get, I hear your master is looking for you and you don't want to be late." Karrod's eyes widened. It was never good to be late when it concerned his master. The first time he had been late Karrod had to do drills until his entire body ached. Karrod dashed out of the kitchen, popping a roll into his mouth as he went along. He had just finished eating his snack when he came to the training room. Karrod knocked before entering.

"Come in Karrod, we don't have all night." Karrod entered the room and bowed.

"I'm sorry for being late Master Artorius." Cassius Artorius looked down at his apprentice and shrugged.

"All that matters is that you're here now," the imperial said as he walked over to the wall and picked up a sword. He glanced after at Karrod and grinned. "Tonight I'll be examining your training and how far you've come." Karrod nodded solemnly. He had been training to become a hunter for several years now. Artorius tossed a sword to Karrod and he caught it easily and swung it around and grasped it in one hand. It was a silver short sword. Artorius picked up another sword and stepped forward.

"Alright, here's the objective. First one to draw blood wins. Karrod," Artorius said in a teacher like tone, "Make sure you utilize your surroundings to your full advantage. Be aware, because I might have a few surprise in store for you," his master said with a grin. Karrod nodded. In unison they both rushed forward and their swords collided.

Sparks were tossed up from the impact. Karrod stepped back and swung his sword in a wide arch at Artorius. His master easily sidestepped and brought down his sword with all of his force. Karrod was barely able to parry in time, and it took all of his strength to stop the cool metal from slicing through him. Artorius struck again, repeatedly forcing Karrod towards the wall. Karrod glanced behind him briefly out of the corner of his eye. It wouldn't do if he was trapped in the corner. His master continued to back him against the wall until he was nearly against it.

Karrod jumped back from a thrust and kicked off from the rule and swung forward. Artorius's eyes widened in surprise, and he was force to quickly block. Artorius was sent back several feet, his feet sliding against the stone floor and sending up dust. Artorius laughed.

"Good, very good, you've been practicing."

"I try my best, Master."

"Good." Artorius threw his sword up in the air and caught it easily in his other hand. "Then you can stop holding back. Your old master won't fall apart if you breathe on him too hard." Karrod pointed his sword in his opponent's direction and closed his eyes. A small smile played across his face.

"Alright then," Karrod slowly walked forward, slowly circling his master. He charged forward, his sword cutting through the air like it was an extension of his arm. Artorius dodged each of Karrod's attacks and occasionally blocked them with his own sword. Sweat began to drip down the brows of the two men. Artorius ran over to a wall and pulled a small lever. A panel from the stone work appeared and shot out several arrows in Karrod's direction. The arrows were blunt and padded, but they still could leave painful bruises.

Karrod quickly squatted down and spun around as the arrows passed him by. He brought his sword down in a forward slash and sliced an arrow that was heading for his head in half. The pieces of arrow fell to the ground harmless. His master whistled in appreciation.

"I taught him everything he knows. He learned that from me." Karrod looked over and saw that his master was talking to several Veterans who were observing their training exercise. Veterans were the most experience vampire hunters. They were retired from field work and mostly oversaw Guild affairs. Veterans were often battle scarred and disfigured from their fights with vampires. Karrod noticed that some of the veterans sported false legs and wicked looking scars that never seemed to heal. There was superstition that vampire wounds took longer to heal. Those scars were proof.

"Ready yourself Karrod, because here I come!" Artorius sprinted forward, dragging his sword along the ground and tossing up sparks. He swung his sword up at Karrod and nearly knocked Karrod's sword out of his hand. Karrod compensated this by switching the sword from his right hand to his left hand and striking swiftly. His master blocked. Karrod went on the offensive firing a series of thrusts and swings at his master, who was forced to block every one. Karrod began to gain ground and momentum.

Karrod spun around and brought down all of his centrifugal force on his masters sword. Artorius brought up his sword and swung down at Karrod. Karrod quickly brought his sword over his shoulder and blocked it. He then quickly kicked out his master's feet out from underneath him and knocked the sword out of his hand which he caught. Karrod pointed his sword at Artorius's throat for a moment and then removed it. Artorius looked up at his apprentice.

"It looks like the student has surpassed the master," he said with pride in his voice.

"I guess," Karrod said, embarrassed, as he offered a hand to Artorius. Artorius gratefully accepted and got to his feet. He looked over to the veterans that were gathered.

"What did I tell you? This lad has great potential. I think he's ready."

"Yes, I can't remember the last time somebody knocked you on the ass like he did," one of the veterans spoke up. This got a round of laughter. Karrod looked at them curiously.

"Ready for what?" he asked. Artorius spoke up.

"Karrod, you got a message from the council telling you to meet here tonight, correct?"

"Yes master." Artorius laughed.

"You'll hardly be calling me that for much longer." Karrod's eyes widened at the insinuation. He couldn't possibly mean…

"Quiet Artorius, or you'll ruin the surprise," one veteran spoke up. His name was Galthragoth and he was the head of this particular branch of the Guild. "Let's head to the council room and discuss this in private." Karrod put the swords away and followed after them. Excited thoughts began to run through Karrod's mind and he tried to rein them in. He shouldn't jump to conclusions but he couldn't help it.

The Guild was dedicated to hunting down and exterminating vampires. The fort Karrod was at was but one of many spread across Tamriel. It had mages working on the latest enchantments and spells to combat vampires. Armories were stocked with enchanted, silver, and even a few daedric weapons. Scouts were sent out to follow rumors of vampire sightings. Once a report had been confirmed, a master, journeyman, or an accompanying apprentice would eliminate it. Karrod had been on some of these missions.

If an apprentice could survive his first couple encounters with vampires, his changes of survival increased significantly. Of course this line of work was very dangerous compared to other trades such as farming. The life expectancy was understandably much lower than a farmer or even a member of the Fighters Guild. The Guild made money by collecting the vampire dust of slain vampires. The dust was extremely valuable to alchemists due to its silencing capabilities. They also confiscated anything that the vampire might have kept in its lair, which was often a lot given due to their life spans.

Karrod walked into the room. The council stood in a semi circle with Artorius. Karrod stepped into the middle of them, his heart beating furiously.

"Karrod," Galthragoth began. "It is time for your apprenticeship to end and for you to join the ranks of the Guild as a full member." Galthragoth picked up the ceremonial blade. Karrod trembled and knelt on the ground. Galthragoth taped him on each shoulder once with the blade. "From this day forth, you will be a journeymen of the Vampire Hunter Guild."

"Thank you sir," Karrod said solemnly looking up. "I won't let you down." Galthragoth smiled down at him.

"I'm sure you won't. Now, I think it's almost time for dinner." The veterans slowly walked of the council room until it was just Karrod and Artorius. Karrod looked at his former master.

"You knew about this the whole time, didn't you?" The imperial yawned and scratched his head.

"I may have been informed ahead of time. I just wanted to make sure that you had a chance to show your abilities to the council and that you were ready. It looks like I was right, _Journeyman._" Karrod couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at that word. He and Artorius walked out of the council room and off to the dining hall.

"Karrod, I heard you got promoted!" Irbran said as he smacked Karrod on the back. Karrod began to choke on his food and was forced to spit it out and broke off coughing.

"Irbran," Karrod said annoyed. Irbran grinned impishly and sat down next to Karrod.

"Sorry about that. I'm just happy for you that's all." Karrod grunted and resumed his meal.

"You know you might get promoted too if you would stop fooling around and act serious once in a while."

"No thanks. I wouldn't want to risk turning into you," Irbran joked. Karrod shrugged the jibe off.

"So how is your training going?" Irbran smiled.

"I don't mean to brag…"

"But somehow I know you will," Karrod pointed out.

"I'm learning all kinds of useful magic."

"Any Destruction spells?" Irbran frowned and shook his head.

"No, not so much but I'm still learning other things. Despite what you may think there is more to magic than just shooting fire and lightning from your hands."

"Seems to be the only useful kind though," Karrod said as he ate another piece of roasted boar.

"You would think that." After dinner Karrod was heading off to the sleeping quarters when Artorius stopped him.

"Karrod, Galthragoth wants to speak with you privately. It's a discreet matter." Karrod went up to the veteran's chamber and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Karrod entered the chamber. The wood elf was sitting in a chair at a table. He gestured for Karrod to take a seat. Karrod sat down and took a moment to admire the room. On display on the mantle were some of the veteran's old swords, battle worn and soaked in vampire blood. Karrod turned to face Galthragoth. He noticed a necklace around his neck. It was made up of vampire fangs. Karrod marveled at how many vampires must have been slain to make it.

"Karrod, I know you've only just been promoted but you show great promise and potential. You have achieved the status of journeyman much faster than most apprentices. Artorius has said that on the missions you've gone on with him that you kept a cool and level head. These are qualities that all vampire hunters need." Karrod nodded.

"Is there some way I can be of service to you, Master Galthragoth?"

"Yes there is. Our forces have been stretched a bit thin as of late. We would like you to lead a team to root out a coven of vampires that has taken up lodging a cave about 50 miles west of here. They've been preying on a nearby village and their animals and we can't let it continue any longer." Karrod swallowed nervously. Lead a team. He couldn't possibly do it! He raised his hand.

"Master Galthragoth, I don't think I'm ready for this. I've just become a journeyman and-" Galthragoth cut him off.

"I know you're young and a little inexperienced, but you're the best we have. Just remember your training and you should do fine. Remove your fear. Look forward and run forward. Don't stand still. Turn back and you will age. Hesitate-"

"And you will die," Karrod finished. The old wood elf smiled.

"It appears that Artorius has taught you well. Here." Galthragoth handed Karrod a sealed envelope. "This contains the name of your team members and your instructions. You leave first thing tomorrow. Got and get some rest. You have a difficult journey ahead of you." Karrod waited until he got to his quarters before opening the envelope.

_ Scouts indicate that around eight to ten vampires have taken lodging in this cave. Stealth and caution are the advised paths due to the great number. These vampires must be congregating around a single leader. It is crucial that you and your team eliminate the leader otherwise he may live to stir up more trouble for us. You will have free range of the armory so feel free to take what you need. Your team consists of the following members:_

_ Twice-Bitten- As his name suggests, he survived being bitten by a vampire twice, not an easy feat. The experience however has only increased his resolve and determination. He is a journeyman who is more experienced than you and he has a bit of a stubborn streak. Be prepared to butt heads with him because he probably won't be too keen on the idea of someone younger than him commanding this mission._

_ Siltta- This high elf is only an apprentice but has a keen ability for swordplay and magic. She has a bit of fiery temper so do your best not offend her._

_Shug gro-Shat- A master with many years under his belt. His ability to make light of any situation and to always pull through has made him popular among the Guild. If you ever need guidance, he should be the first one to ask._

_ Report back to headquarters as soon as you've completed the mission. The council wishes you the best of luck._

_Galthragoth_

Karrod walked to the sleeping quarters and settled down in his bed. He had an important day and had better get some sleep. He tossed the dossier onto the nightstand by his bed. Karrod closed his eyes and attempted to get some sleep. Sleep wasn't possible. Thoughts kept swirling around in his head like a wilo wisp. Karrod would never admit it, but he was scared. Scared that he would let everybody down and lead them all to their deaths. Who was he kidding? He was still just a boy, a boy being sent off to do a man's work. Karrod rolled over in his bed and threw off his sheets. He needed to get some air.

Several minutes later found Karrod outside in the training yard going through his sword exercises. The repetitive movements were soothing, and Karrod just let his muscle memory guide him. He could have done it in his sleep.

"It looks like you still train when you can't sleep, eh Karrod?" Karrod whirled around to see his master leaning against the fence.

"Master Artorius!" The imperial just shrugged.

"I'm not your master anymore. You can just call me Artorius." Karrod blushed.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize," he said as he walked over to stand beside his former pupil. "I had the same problem when I first became a journeyman. Now," he said changing the subject, "What seems to be the problem?" Karrod sighed and looked down at the ground. He hesitated before answering.

"Everyone, you, the council, Galthragoth, you all think that I'm ready for this. The thing is that I'm not. Sure I can hold my own when it's just me but now there will be others involved. I'll be responsible for people's lives and getting out alive and I… I just can't do it," Karrod finished quietly. Artorius looked down at him.

"I'm not going to lie; this mission is very dangerous and all of you could end up dead." Karrod snorted.

"Thanks, I feel so much better now. You really know how to give a pep talk." Artorius shook his head.

"My point is that you have to remember why you're doing this. You're doing this to help those people. Never let any other petty emotions like greed or vengeance get in the way of that. If you do die, there is honor dying to protect somebody who can't protect themselves."

"I suppose," Karrod said as he pondered over what his former mentor had said. Artorius gave Karrod a clap on the shoulder and headed back to the fort.

"Don't stay up to late," he called over his shoulder. "You'll need your strength. Oh and good luck," he added. Karrod nodded and stared down at the blade that he held in his hand. He put it back in his sheath. There was no use worrying about things that had yet to happen. He would just deal with them as they came and hope that he could get through it. Karrod entered his quarters and was finally able to get some sleep.

Dawn came oh too early for Karrod. He rolled out of bed and immediately regretted staying up late training. He rubbed his eyes and began to get dressed. He fitted his leather armor and gauntlets on. Karrod reached for the amulet that lay on his dresser. It was enchanted to help protect him from disease. It had been a gift from Artorius and was an invaluable tool for any vampire hunter. Karrod entered the armory and began looking at the stores. He grabbed a short sword of embers, a silver longsword, and several daggers both enchanted and regular ones.

Karrod walked out to the gates and saw his team for the first time in the lightening sky. The first one he noticed was Shug gro-Shat. The orc was massive, standing close to seven feet tall. He was encased in steel armor and an enchanted battle axe hung from his shoulder. An argonian was saddling up his horse. His scales were a reddish orange color and he wore chainmail. Siltta had already mounted her horse and was staring down impatiently at the other two. Some of her long silver hair leaked out of the elven helmet that she wore. Shug gro-Shat was the first one to notice Karrod.

"You must be the one leading this mission. You don't look like much but you know what they say about looks…" Siltta sighed and rolled her eyes.

"That they can be deceiving," she said tiredly.

"No, that they can kill," the orc laughed loudly at his own joke and Karrod allowed a cautious smile to spread across his face. They didn't seem too bad.

"Um, hello," Karrod began awkwardly. "I'm Karrod and I'll be leading this mission so-"

"Yes, why are you leading this mission again?" The argonian interjected. Karrod frowned and turned his attention to the argonian that had finished saddling his horse.

"You must be Twice-Bitten." Twice-Bitten walked up to Karrod and looked him straight in the eye.

"Yes, that's me," he hissed. "Now let's get one thing straight," he said as he poked Karrod in the chest. Karrod bristled but held his tongue. He had always had a little trouble talking to people so of course an obnoxious ass was assigned to his team. The Gods just worked like that. "I am way more experienced than you, and I shouldn't be taking orders from a hatchling. In fact, I should be the one leading this expedition not you!" Karrod removed the finger from his chest and didn't back down.

"Be that as it may, I'm still a member of this guild and as such I will be treated with respect." The argonian snorted.

"You're green. You haven't seen half of the things I've seen." Twice-Bitten pulled down the chainmail around his collar and exposed his neck. Karrod winced as he saw two sets of deep puncture wounds on the argonian's neck. "That is how I got my name," he said wickedly. "When you have a scar to match I might consider you as an equal."

"That's enough Twice-Bitten," Shug gro-Shat said. "If you could keep that up I'll have to start showing off some of my own scars, and not all them are exactly in public areas."

"Please there is a lady present," Siltta complained. Shug gro-Shat turned to the altmer and grinned.

"How you remain regal and dignified while fighting with blood splattered all over you I'll never figure out." Siltta laughed and turned her eyes back on the road.

"It's just a gift I suppose." The high elf glanced over at Karrod. She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm Siltta, that argonian over there has proven that he is Twice-Bitten, and this charmer over here is Shug gro-Shat."

"It's nice to meet you all," Karrod said as he walked over the stables and began to saddle his horse. Karrod got on his horse and trotted over to where the others were. He hesitated for a moment.

"Go on then. If you're leading this mission you should take the point," Shug gro-Shat pointed out. Karrod nodded wordlessly and took at the point of their group. The others all looked at him expectantly, even Twice-Bitten although his look had a lot of scorn in disdain in it.

"Alright, this cave is located about 50 miles from here. If we set a brisk pace we should be able to reach there in about two and a half days."

"That would be around noon wouldn't it?" Siltta asked. "In case we have to make hasty retreat."

"Yes, let's hope for sunny weather in case we get in over our heads." Twice-Bitten snorted and clenched the reigns of his horse.

"Please," he said arrogantly. "I could handle way more than the three of you put together." Siltta gasped and glared at the argonian.

"What did you just say lizard slime?" Karrod began to have a bad feeling about where this was going. Twice-Bitten hissed at her.

"What would you know? You're just an apprentice, and a woman at that." Before Karrod had time to blink, Siltta dismounted her horse and ran over to Twice-Bitten. She threw him off his mount and onto the ground. She then proceeded to punch him in a very un-lady like manner. Shug gro-Shat just rubbed his head tiredly.

"She has to reign in her temper of her's. She'll never be good hunter if she can't control her emotions." The argonian began to fight back and grabbed Siltta by the hair and pulled it with his claws. She cried out in pain and elbowed him in the jaw. Karrod walked over to them and separated them. The two of them began to protest, yelling accusations at each other, but Karrod had had enough.

"Stop it both of you!" The two became quiet at the anger in Karrod's voice. He looked them both in the eye and kept his voice steady as he spoke.

"You two are comrades now. I don't care whether you can't stand each other or the sight of the other. We are on mission. If we can't work together, we will die. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. As soon as this mission is over you can go back to hating each other. Until then, deal with it and get over your pride. Understand?" They both nodded silently with wide eyes. "Good." Karrod turned to get on back on his horse when he bumped into Shug gro-Shat. The Orc looked down at him and smiled.

"Well, it looks like you've got some fire in you. You might make a good leader yet."

"T-Thanks," Karrod mumbled retreating back into his shell now that the conflict was over. He mounted his horse and looked over his shoulder at his team. "Let's go. We're riding out." He began to gallop off down the road. Shug gro-Shat mounted his horse and glanced over at Siltta and Twice-Bitten.

"You heard the man. We're leaving. Get a move on." They hastily mounted their horse and followed after Karrod and Shug gro-Shat. They couldn't have imagined what was in store for them. None of them could have.

**A/N: Ominous ending right? As you might have guessed, things are going to go very wrong on this mission. You just don't know the how, why, and where. I'm deviating a little away from the M'Dargo and Chirranirr but they already have had a bunch of chapters. Karrod needs the spotlight now. Tell me what you think, did I portray Karrod okay? Was it different from other chapters? Review and tell me what you think.**


	8. A Turn for the Worse

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in so long. It's been almost five months. I made up for it with an extra long chapter. I'll try and update more often. Once again I thank my awesome Beta Reader Silver Crimsonthorn.**

**Reviews: Silver Crimsonthorn, firewish325, BloodAndDiamonds**

The horse trudged along, its hooves plodding along the grassy path. Occasionally, its tail would flick at a fly. Karrod sighed. Why did it have to be such a hot day? The sun beat down from above relentlessly. His armor just made it even hotter. The smell of sweaty horseflesh filled his nostrils, and made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. He glanced back at the rest of his team. Twice-Bitten seemed to be dealing with the heat the worst. His scales had turned an odd shade of green, and his eyes had become bloodshot.

"Twice-Bitten, do you want to stop and take a break?" The argonian shook his head and spat on the ground.

"I don't need to rest. I can keep this up for the rest of the day. What about you? Do you want to stop?" Karrod shook his head in irritation. Fine, if he was going to be so stubborn, he could pass out from heatstroke for all he cared. Karrod had never been so thankful for the ability to sweat, unlike the argonian, who had no such ability. Siltta had taken off her helmet and was fanning herself with a fan. It appeared elvish in appearance. Shrug-go Shat was drinking a bottle of ale and cursing the heat under his breath.

Karrod stifled a groan as the horse met a particularly rugged piece of terrain. He felt stiff and sore all over, especially in his back. Riding may be better than walking, but it still had its downsides. The four of them trotted along on their horses in formation. Karrod took the point, Twice-Bitten and Siltta took the center, and Shrug-go Shat brought up the rear. Karrod grinned slightly as he imagined what this might look like to somebody else: a redguard, an argonian, an elf, and an orc all riding along. It sounded like the beginning of some joke.

Karrod pulled out the instructions from the council and looked them over once more. One thing was bothering him. The council had mentioned that it was possible that these vampires had a leader. This could be a problem. When someone became a vampire, they often lost control of themselves due to bloodlust. They became feral, and almost beast-like. But sometimes, a vampire was able to eventually gain some measure of control, and reign-in his bloodlust. This was new kind of danger. No longer a slave to its desires, that vampire would plot out complex strategies that obtained more victims.

Karrod gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. If it that were true, they couldn't afford to allow the leader to get away. Karrod's nose twitched and he could smell a sharp smell suddenly. It was smoke. He looked on ahead and could see smoke rising lazily from a hillside. The faint figures of people could just be seen. Karrod consulted his map. There weren't any settlements nearby. That could mean only one thing: bandits.

He held up his hand, and the others stopped their horses. They looked at him curiously. Karrod dismounted from his horse and led it behind a boulder. He motioned for them to do the same. Karrod crouched to the ground and spoke lowly.

"It looks like we may have some bandits over on that hillside. We'll cut around the hill, and sneak by them. It might delay us a little bit, but we don't want to confront them."

"Why not?" Siltta asked as she flipped her silvery hair past her shoulder. She grinned. "They're just bandits," she said scornfully. "Nothing we can't handle. Actually I've been itching for a fight." Siltta grinned happily, unsheathed her sword, and began to clean it."

"For once, I agree with you," Twice-Bitten interjected. "Why don't we go teach those scum who're the bosses?" The argonian looked down slyly and smirked. "That is, unless you're scared," he continued. Karrod sighed and rubbed his head tiredly.

"Listen. The mission comes first. We don't want to take any unnecessary risks. If any of us got hurt, they would drag the rest of the team down and become a liability. We'll need to be at full strength when we face those vampires." Shrug-gro Shat stood off to the side, rubbing his chin and thinking.

"Well," he began. "As tempting as it to bring down my axe and feel the crunching of a skull… I think Karrod's right. We'll have more than enough fighting ahead. We shouldn't be looking for more trouble." Siltta put her sword back in its sheath.

"Really?" she complained. "Come on Shrug-gro Shat. Those bandits wouldn't stand a chance. I'll fry them before they even got near us." The large orc just shook his head resolutely. Siltta wasn't going to let the matter go easily however. She turned to Karrod and batted her eyelashes, "Karrod," she said sweetly, "we'd be doing a service to the Empire by getting rid of those pesky bandits."

"We'll do an even greater service by slaying these vampires," Karrod replied. "If we attack the bandits, our ability to complete the mission may be compromised. That is that. The discussion is over," Karrod said as he crossed his arms. He put on his most serious face and tried to act as confident as his words had been. Siltta sighed and muttered something under her breath, but she nodded.

Karrod was relieved. He had only seen a small bit of her temper, and he didn't want to be at the brunt of it. They wrapped bits of cloth around the horses' hooves to muffle the sound, and began to walk slowly just inside the tree line to get past the camp, unnoticed. As they circled around the camp they could begin to pick up bits of conversation that the wind blew by them.

"Dammit, we're out of ale! Where did that bastard go…?"

"I told you not to hog it-" Karrod snorted. With any luck, the bandits would simply just pass out from over indulging. Karrod turned his attention back on the ground before him, focusing on moving as quietly as possible. Twice-Bitten seemed to be in a more tolerable mood, now that they were under some shade. They moved silently, and kept their ears opened for the slightest sound. Birds chirped and flew from branch to branch. Karrod winced as a sharp cracking sound came from the ground beneath him. Karrod looked down to see that his horse had stepped on a branch and snapped it in half.

Karrod held up his hand to signal the others to stop. He listened intently.

"Eh, what was that?" Karrod held his breath.

"Go check it out then!" He released his breath and swore.

"By the Nine!" he muttered. He glanced back to the others. "Quick, hide!" Siltta looked like she was going to protest, but Karrod interrupted her as she opened her mouth. "That's an order!" She shrugged her shoulders unhappily as a child would, but went further into the trees. Karrod turned back toward the camp to see a figure approaching. He leapt off his horse and led further into the forested hill. He met up with the others in a thick patch of trees. Twice-Bitten glared at him.

"Way to go redguard, so much for your plan of secrecy." Shrug gro-Shat held up a finger.

"Shush," he hissed. "They don't know that we're here for a fact, so I suggest that you keep your mouths shut." Unfortunately, it seemed that last statement had been loud enough for a bandit to track it to its source. A dirty, grizzled man wearing fur armor stared at the group with his mouth in open in shock.

"Get the hell over here! We've got-" Siltta quickly stepped forward and struck the man with a lighting bolt. The man was stunned, and knocked back several feet. Siltta ran forward and unsheathed her dagger. The blade glinted in the sunlight as it was held in the air before it came crashing down, becoming sheathed in the bandit's body. Siltta quickly wrenched the blade free; it was dripping in blood. The man's lifeless body fell to the forest ground, his blood soaking the grassy undergrowth, turning it a rusty red. Karrod put his hand on the hilt of his sword and withdrew it from its sheath. The sounds of more bandits coming to check on their comrade could be heard.

"Damn, it looks like we don't have a choice now," Karrod said as he gripped his sword tightly. "Don't try anything fancy, just finish them off quickly. Siltta, you stick with Shrug Gro-Shat. Twice-Bitten, you're with me."

"What?" the argonian protested. "Why must I be with you?"

"Because," Karrod said, as he stopped and looked over his shoulder, "I want to see if you have the ability to back that attitude of yours." Twice-Bitten grinned, and revealed his sharp teeth.

"You will definitely see that, redguard." They emerged from the edge of the forest, and Karrod quickly took in his surroundings. Six or Seven makeshift tents lay in the center of the clearing. Benches were set next to pots where smoke, and the smell of pork rose from them. The bandits themselves were a wretched lot. Karrod couldn't help but pity them a little bit as he saw the condition they were in. They were absolutely filthy, wearing ill fitting armor that scarcely fit them. Their faces were starved and their eyes told of a long life, filled with the struggle for survival.

However, this wasn't the time, or the place for such sympathies. One bandit rushed forward, only to be met by Shrug-Gro Shat's axe. The shear strength of the orc's swing knocked the sword from the bandit's hand. Shrug-Gro Shat followed through with a powerful, underhand swing that sent the bandit flying backwards, crashing into several of his companions. Karrod charged forward, and sword met sword as the battle ensued.

Karrod struck at his opponent several times, sizing him up. The bandit didn't seem to have much skill with the sword that he held. Karrod swung his sword, and snaked it around his opponent's wrist. Karrod snapped the bone, and ran the bandit through as he cried out in pain. As Karrod extracted his sword from the dead bandit, another adversary charged toward him. Karrod cursed as he abandoned his sword, and went to unsheathe one of his many daggers. He didn't get the chance to.

Twice-Bitten brought down his blade, and met the bandit head on. Twice-Bitten struck several times swiftly. His body was poetry in motion. Grace and power, blended together. The bandit swung his sword desperately. The argonian ducked easily, and knocked the bandit down with the hilt of his sword. Twice-Bitten brought down his sword, and pierced the bandit's heart. Karrod managed to extricate his sword from his fallen foe.

"Thank you." The argonian scoffed, and spat on the ground.

"I didn't do it for you," he said angrily. "The mission could be compromised if we lose anyone, even someone as useless, and unworthy as you." Karrod smirked.

"I'll suppose I'll take that as a compliment."

"Bastard! Keep your hands off my hair!" A bandit had grabbed Siltta by the hair, and she twisted to get free. Shrug-Gro Shat was preoccupied by several bandits that attacked him en masse. They wore heavy armor, and were able to hold their own against the orc for a longer time than the others.

'That girl is always getting into trouble," Twice-Bitten complained. Karrod nodded wordlessly as he rushed off to her. Several bandits tried to intercept him but Karrod merely knocked their legs out from underneath them or quickly dodged, grabbed them and slit their throat with his dagger. As Karrod neared Siltta, the high elf placed both hands on the bandit restraining her, and concentrated. Her hands glowed blue and the bandit was knocked back by a wave of frost energy. Karrod knelt beside her.

"Are you alright?" Siltta was bruised, and her forehead was bleeding but those facts were barely noticeable, disguised by the huge smile on her face.

"I'm fine, nothing I couldn't handle. Let's go help out Shrug-Gro Shat. I take my eyes off him for one moment, and he gets in trouble," she said as she got to her feet.

"I highly doubt that," Karrod muttered under his breath, but he followed Siltta regardless. Shrug-Gro Shat was going toe to toe with several bandits at once. Several cuts were visible on his face, and blood dripped down his armor.

"Please, is that all you've got," The orc retorted tiredly. "I've seen more fight in one legged barmaids than in your sorry lot." Shrug-Gro Shat attempted to hide his fatigue behind his taunts. Twice-Bitten, Karrod, and Siltta arrived, and they were able to finish off the bandits. Those that were still able fled into the forest. Karrod sheathed his sword, and sank to one knee. Adrenaline still pumped through his veins, and his heart hammered painfully in his chest. He glanced over at Shrug-Gro Shat. Siltta was helping him take off his armor so that his wounds could be tended.

"Shrug-Gro Shat, are you alright?" Karrod asked. The orc just grinned.

"I'm fine. Nothing a few pints of ale won't fix. Ow!" He glared down at Siltta who looked up at him sheepishly.

"What? I'm just applying a salve. We don't want your wounds to get infected. Siltta reached into her pack, and pulled out some bandaging. She carefully trimmed it down, applied the salve, and bandaged Shrug-Gro Shat's wounds, quickly and efficiently.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Karrod wondered aloud." Shrug-Gro Shat laughed.

"Are you kidding me? Siltta here was trained by some of the best-"

"Don't tell him!" Siltta said irritably. Karrod frowned.

"Tell me what?" Siltta sighed, and returned to her work.

"You see," Shrug-Gro Shat began, "Siltta is actually from a noble family. She was brought up to be a proper lady, with some of the finest tutors around Tamriel." Siltta snorted.

"It was all a bunch of boring nonsense: except for the healing lessons. Those come in handy."

"And your family just allowed you join the Guild?" Karrod asked incredulously. Siltta blushed and ceased her work.

"I wouldn't call it 'allow' or even 'permit' it was more of…"

"Ran off?" Twice-Bitten interjected. Siltta frowned.

"That's one way of putting it. I just hated all the restrictions and rules I had to follow. I couldn't do anything I wanted. I always had to work on my embroidery, attend parties, or stomach some arrogant bachelor from a well off family. I wanted to do something I enjoyed. Besides, I am pretty good at this aren't I?" she said gesturing to the clearing. Twice-Bitten grunted. Karrod paused, and thought for a moment.

"Well, you do seem to have certain tenacity for it." Siltta's face lit up from the praise. "But," Karrod added, "You're reckless and arrogant. Only fools rush into battle." Siltta muttered something incomprehensibly under her breath as she finished bandaging Shrug-Gro Shat. The orc looked down at her.

"You'd best listen to Karrod. I've seen too many people who have gotten caught up in the fighting. They can't function in peaceful situations. They get all nervous and edgy," he explained. "They lash out for the smallest reasons. That's why you have to find a balance. It's okay to enjoy the thrill of the battle, but don't become addicted to it." Shrug-Gro Shat fitted his armor back on and stood up stretching. "You'll find out all too soon how mortal you actually are."

Siltta looked down. For the first time since Karrod had met her, she seemed unsure of herself. She silently nodded as she mulled over everything that he had said. What Shrug-Gro Shat had said echoed with some of the things that his old Master had taught him. Shrug-Gro Shat would make a good mentor. Had he ever had any apprentices? Karrod would have to ask him sometime. Karrod clapped his hands together.

"Alright, we've been delayed long enough. Let's saddle up and make up for lost time." They were headed back toward the forest where they had tethered their horses when Karrod noticed that Twice-Bitten wasn't with them. He found him back at the camp, crouched by a chest with a set of lock picks in his hand. The argonian muttered as he fitted the lock pick inside the chest and began to tap the tumblers into place.

"Come on. Almost there…"

"I hope you're going to donate that to the Guild," Karrod said, surprising the argonian. Twice-Bitten looked up at him and his red eyes narrowed into a glare. "It's Guild policy that all loot gained in any Guild assignments be given to the Guild for distribution." Twice-Bitten growled, and spat on the ground.

"You've always got to play by the rules, don't you redguard? You never swipe anything for yourself, do you?" Karrod shook his head. The lock snapped open, and Twice-Bitten opened the top of the chest. "You know what? Nobody really likes someone who is noble, and plays by the rules. That just shows that you're weak." Twice-Bitten reached into the chest, and began to shovel coins into his bag.

Karrod stepped forward and slammed the chest shut, nearly slamming the lid on the argonian's fingers.

"Hey, watch it!" Karrod leaned close to Twice-Bitten until he could pick out each individual scale on his face.

"You're either going to leave that gold or give it up for the Guild collection. Otherwise, we might have a problem." The argonian laughed.

"A problem?" he said sarcastically. He stood up and shoved Karrod back. "I do believe that we have a problem." Karrod's eyes narrowed.

"Are you challenging my authority?"

"You're damn right I am! I should've been assigned as the leader of this mission!" Karrod sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Well you're not, so get over it! I won't let you jeopardize the mission if you can't control yourself." That last comment was the final straw. Twice-Bitten rushed at Karrod. Karrod ducked and brought up a fist to strike the argonian with. Twice-Bitten blocked it and kicked at Karrod's right leg, just above the knee. Karrod fell to the ground and rolled out of the way as Twice-Bitten jammed his elbow where Karrod had been just a moment before.

"Keep still you coward!" _I'm the coward!_, Karrod thought indignantly as he got to his feet. He took a deep breath, and relaxed his muscles. Twice-Bitten's anger was a weakness. It clouded his judgment. Twice-Bitten whirled around and struck at Karrod with his tail. Karrod sidestepped, grabbed the tail, and threw the argonian off balance. Before Twice-Bitten could react, Karrod was placing his boot against his throat.

Twice-Bitten glared up at Karrod as scorn and anger flooded his red eyes. Karrod slowly stepped off of him and offered him a hand up. The argonian refused it, and headed back to the group without a word.

"Where were the two of you?" Shrug-Gro Shat said as they saddled their horses. "Is there something you two would like to share with us?" The orc hinted suggestively. Twice-Bitten growled.

"Shut your trap, orc!" Shrug-Gro Shat seemed unabashed.

"Oh lover's quarrels, how painful they can be." Karrod couldn't help the small grin that spread across this face as Twice-Bitten growled angrily and saddled his horse. They rode on until the sun set, and then they set up their camp. They were close to their destination. They would set out at dawn, and reach it before the sun rose in the sky.

Dinner was a somber occasion. They could all feel the tension in the air, as they ate their meal. They were silent, each contemplating the next day. They could all very well be dead by the next night, or worse. Siltta was the first to break the silence.

"How… how many vampires are we going up against again?"

"The reports aren't one hundred percent accurate, but there should be at least a dozen. Maybe more," Karrod replied.

"Oh," Siltta said quietly as she gazed down at her roasted boar. She seemed like a completely different person now. She was subdued and quiet. Shrug-Gro Shat seemed to notice this as well.

"You're not nervous are you?" he said as he playfully elbowed her. Siltta smiled and pushed him back.

"Not a chance of that!" she said laughing. Karrod stared down at his hands lost in thought. He was the leader here. Their lives rested in his hands. It was a humbling and terrifying thought. He wasn't ready for this! The council should have picked someone else. Someone who knew what they were doing. Twice-Bitten sat off to the side of the fire, cleaning his sword. He did it meticulously in deep concentration. The argonian caught Karrod staring at him. Their eyes locked. Twice-Bitten looked at him for a second, before returning to his work. Karrod stood up.

"We better rest up for the morning. I'll take the first watch."

"Hold on a second Karrod," Shrug-Gro Shat spoke up. "You don't have to get the first watch. I'd be glad to." Siltta smacked him lightly on the arm.

"No, you can't. If you want those wounds to heal up, you need to get some rest. Got it?" The high elf stared down the orc who was easily three times her size. He sighed and relented.

"Fine," he said. "I'll be hitting the hay early then." Karrod nodded in agreement.

"Twice-Bitten, I'll wake you for the second watch. Siltta, you can take the third." Twice-Bitten lay back on his bedroll.

"Great," he muttered. "I feel so much safer knowing that you'll be watching my tail," he said before closing his eyes. Siltta walked over to her bedroll and climbed into it.

"Goodnight Karrod."

"Goodnight Siltta."

"Karrod…" Karrod turned back to her.

"Yes." Siltta smiled and shook her head lightly.

"Don't worry so much. We're going to be fine. You'll see." Karrod gave a small smile.

"You're probably right." Siltta closed her eyes, and lay back on the bedroll. Soon, the steady even sounds of sleep filled the quiet air around them. The small fire created a tiny ball of light in the dark forest. Crickets could be heard chirping in the air. It was hard to believe that a coven of vampires was located so nearby. Karrod gazed out into the darkness surrounding him. One hand lay gently on the hilt on his sword. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the silence. He was never one for many words. Irbran always seemed to make up for that.

Karrod had to admit that, over the last few days, he had come to like his team. _Except maybe for Twice-Bitten, _Karrod thought. But then again, Twice-Bitten was willing to watch his back in battle and in this line of work that's all you really needed. The sudden muted sound of a branch snapping caught Karrod's ears. He leapt up and unsheathed his sword quickly and silently and held it out in front of him.

The sound of movement was getting closer. Karrod could see a shape just outside the light of the campfire. Karrod steadied the grip of his sword and was about rush forward when a pair of antlers gleamed white in the firelight. It was a buck. Seeing Karrod poised there with blade in hand, the buck took off running in the opposite direction. Karrod let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but feel foolish as he sheathed his sword.

"It was just a deer," he muttered softly under his breath. He ran his hand through his short hair several times before sitting back down on a log. "You've got to get a hold of yourself."

Little did Karrod know that a figure was observing him, unaware, in the dark forest. The moonlight lit up the figure's pale face and red eyes. The vampire scout made sure that his bow was secure before turning around to slink off back into the forest. As tempting as it had been to just slay them with his bow, that would have to wait. His master had much better plans. The scout hurried off to inform him that the "guests" had arrived, just as expected.

The rest of the night passed without incident and as the sky first began to lighten to gray they got up and silently and packed. Karrod made sure that all of his knives and daggers were clean, functional and within easy reach. Siltta tied her hair back in a warrior's tale and donned her helmet and light armor. Shrug-Gro Shat inspected his axe and attached it to his back. Twice-Bitten was once again cleaning his sword until it shined.

They mounted their horses and rode out. The only sound that could be heard was the morning call of birds and the soft thuds of hooves against the ground. The sun slowly peeked above the horizon, helping to dilute the slight chill in the air. After and hour or so, the cave came into view. As they approached, Karrod signaled his team. The horses broke out of single file and they rode around the cave, approaching it from different directions. Karrod dismounted and approached the cave cautiously, his hand on the hilt of his sword. It was still just a little too early for the sun to bright enough to harm vampires. Besides, a vampire that had recently fed wouldn't be bothered by the sun at all.

Karrod grimaced slightly as he saw the blood that soaked the ground outside the cave entrance. The remains of bodies could be seen. Apparently, the vampires had mutilated the bodies after feeding. Flies buzzed lazily around them in clouds. Karrod noticed one particular body out of the corner of his eye that sent his blood boiling. A child. Shrug-Gro Shat came up behind him and clasped him on the shoulder. The orc wearily shook his head.

"We'll clean these bastards out real good." Siltta walked up to the door on the cave's entrance. The wood was rotten and eaten away by the elements. She ran a hand down it, feeling the texture. The narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. She glanced over at Karrod expectantly. Karrod nodded.

"Go ahead. Breach it." Siltta nodded. She took a step back and thrust her hand against the door. Energy began to gather around it. Siltta released the magic and blew the door apart. Bits of wooden debris fell to the ground as the door had been completely destroyed. The cave's dark mouth stared at them hungrily, as if it wanted nothing more to devour more souls and send them to a pit of pain and suffering. Karrod took a deep breath and slowly released it. It was now or never. He turned to Twice-Bitten. The argonian was staring at the entrance, his hand subconsciously moved to touch his puncture scars.

"Twice-Bitten, do you have the potions?" Twice-Bitten looked at Karrod and shook his head distractedly.

"Yes, I have them right here." He took out potions that were contained in pink vials, and passed them out to the group. They were potions of Nighteye. Torches would be too obvious, and give them away. Vampires could see in the dark, and the torches would draw them out like moths to a fire. These potions would help even the playing field a bit. With vampire hunting, the element of surprise was crucial. If a vampire was aware of them and began to fight, their chances of killing it and getting out alive went down severely. Fortunately all guild members trained for the worse possible scenarios. Hopefully this operation would run smoothly, the Nine willing.

Karrod crouched down, and gestured for everybody else to do the same. He spoke softly but firmly.

"All of you know the drill. We get in there unseen and take out as many vampires as we can by surprise. We need to hold onto the element of surprise for as long as possible. Once the other vampires know we're there, we just have to hope for the best." Karrod paused for a moment and took in the determined looks on their faces.

"You know what Karrod?" Shrug-Gro Shat said with a grin on his face. "I'm buying you a pint of ale once this all over, so we can sit back and laugh at this." Karrod returned the grin.

"I look forward to it." Karrod stood up. "Everybody just keep a level head, and remember your training. You'll do fine." Karrod drank his potion, and his vision was suddenly shaded blue. The weak light of the sun rising in the sky could be seen. Karrod entered the cave and the others followed. Cobwebs lined the walls of the entrance and wind would blow causing the cobwebs to stir. Karrod gingerly stepped over several bones that were rotting away in the dark. They came to the end of the passage and came into a gargantuan cavern.

"Sweet Talos!" Siltta breathed as they gazed at the enormous chamber. Crudely formed steps could be seen running up the sides of the wall and to other passages. In the center of the chamber there lay a stone slab. Blood stained the stone, and ropes could be seen lying nearby. It was for holding victims down. Karrod suppressed a shudder. Now wasn't the time to be squeamish. He had seen worse things with Master Artorius. Karrod signaled Siltta and Twice-Bitten. They briefly nodded before quickly creeping forward and checking the passages that led of the ground floor.

Twice-Bitten gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as he leaned against a wall. He quickly glanced down a corridor. Nobody was there. Siltta used a life detection spell as she quickly looked from passage to passage. There was nobody within 100 feet. Shrug-Gro Shat turned towards the passage they had come out. He took a piece of chalk out of his pack and marked the wall beside it for future reference. Twice-Bitten and Siltta returned to Karrod.

"It seems to be all clear," The argonian said as he glanced over his shoulder back at the passages. Siltta nodded in confirmation.

"The spell didn't pick up anything within 100 feet." Karrod nodded as his brain began to work furiously. Where could all the vampires be? The size of this complex suggested that there were many more here than the council had suggested. They may need to call for backup. Perhaps the passages led to individual living areas. With any luck they would be asleep. They could pick them off one by quickly and efficiently. Karrod turned to his team who looked at him expectantly. It was disconcerting to see how they automatically looked to him for guidance. Karrod wasn't use to it.

"Here's the plan. We sneak along as quietly and stealthily as we can, and eliminate the targets quietly. We don't want them to find out that were here as long as we can help it. Hopefully they'll be asleep. Shrug-Gro Shat," Karrod nodded towards the burly orc. "You take Siltta down the west passages and work your way through systematically." Siltta nodded and cracked her knuckles loudly and smiled apologetically at the wince Karrod made.

"Sorry about that." Shrug-Gro Shat chuckled softly and led her off to one of the passages.

"Come on young spitfire. Show me some of those Altmer skills that you're always boasting of." Twice-Bitten sighed dejectedly as they the two of them went off before glaring at Karrod.

"Why am I always stuck with you?" he complained. Karrod unsheathed his sword and began to walk down one of the passageways. Twice-Bitten hurried to catch up to him.

"Because I need to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't swipe anything." Karrod whispered quietly. The darkness and vastness seemed to swallow up his words and smother them. "You know the regulations. We claim anything of value for the Guild after the targets have been neutralized. I'm sure we'll be compensated."

"Yeah, yeah," Twice-Bitten muttered under his breath. As they walked along the corridor, a piece of the stone wall moved proving to be not stone at all, but a panel. A pair of glowing red eyes peered out hungrily at Karrod and Twice-Bitten's progress down the corridor. The vampire shut the panel and turned to his companion with a grin lighting up his deathly pale face.

"Tell master that our guests have arrived." The other got up with a chuckle.

"I do hope these ones prove to be a challenge. I can't wait to paint the floor with their blood." The vampire swiftly traversed one of the many intersecting secret passages and went to inform his master.

So far the mission had been going smoothly. There had been a few traps set but they could be easily avoided. Seriously, how was a pressure pad with a giant mace hanging from a ceiling supposed to trick anyone? Despite all of this, Karrod couldn't help feel that something was wrong. That feeling of anxiety increased as they strode down passage after passage and checked rooms but there were no vampires. Karrod began to sweat and his hand tightened on his sword. It was obviously a trap. A cavern this big would be able to shelter dozens of vampires. So where were they? Karrod stopped in the middle of the passage and turned to Twice-Bitten.

"I think this is a trap."

"Oh really!" The argonian replied dryly. "That thought never crossed my mind. I just assumed that the all the vampires died of natural causes." Karrod chose to ignore Twice-Bitten's comment walked swiftly passed him.

"Let's regroup with Siltta and Shrug-Gro Shat and get of here." They began to make their way back to the large cavern where they had first entered when they heard something. They stopped and strained to hear what it was. It was light footsteps. They seemed to come from every direction. Twice-Bitten hissed and held his sword at the ready.

"Vampire scum," he spat out silently. A laugh echoed throughout the stone corridor that sent shivers down Karrod's spine. It was dark; full of malice and amusement. The footsteps were getting closer. It was a little piece of rock falling from the ceiling that alerted Karrod. He swung his sword up in time to block a blow from a vampire dropping down from the ceiling. The vampire dropped gracefully on the ground and stared at Karrod for a brief moment. His skin looked like it hadn't seen the sun in years. His blond hair had grown dull and lifeless. The vampire smiled revealing a pair of sharp teeth with descended canines. Out of the corner of his mouth he licked a drop of blood.

The vampire stuck swiftly and powerfully. If it hadn't been for his years of training and knowledge of what a vampire was capable of, Karrod would have never been able to block it let alone parry. Karrod locked blades with the vampire and risked a brief look over his opponent's shoulder. More vampires could be seen flooding from the entrance. From behind him Karrod could hear that Twice-Bitten was also engaged with the enemy.

"You're going to die here!" the vampire hissed at Karrod. Karrod gritted his teeth and forced the vampire back. Karrod felt a momentary sense of satisfaction at the look of surprise on the vampire's face. Karrod brought down his blade and forced the vampire to step back. Karrod swung his sword but the vampire quickly dodged to the right and lunged forward. Karrod was barely able to parry the block. He reached into his belt, pulled out a dagger, and thrust it into the vampire. The vampire burst into flames and screeched an animalistic scream at Karrod.

"May Arkay have mercy on your soul," Karrod said as he quickly withdrew the dagger. The vampire collapsed into a pile of ash. Twice-Bitten was fighting three opponents at once. His left arm was bleeding profusely and cuts lined his torso but he refused to back down. Twice-Bitten quickly blocked one blade, and then disarmed another vampire. The third rushed forward but Twice-Bitten grabbed the vampire's forearm and wrenched the eleven blade from its grasp and impaled it into the vampire's foot. The argonian followed through with a fire blast that scorched the vampire.

Karrod ran forward and cut out the legs of the vampire that was quickly trying to recover its blade. Twice-Bitten turned around and looked at Karrod, his breath coming in heavy gasps. He nodded briefly. Karrod snorted. That was probably the best he was ever going to get from him. Oh well. More vampires were coming. Karrod quickly darted down another corridor and signaled for Twice-Bitten to follow. They ran down the corridors coming into rooms and entering more passages but the vampires just kept on coming. Karrod stumbled as he felt an arrow imbed itself in the back of his leg. A vampire leapt onto Karrod and went for his throat. Karrod struggled to hold off the dirty steel hands that were attempting to choke the life out of him. The vampire's eyes were glowing, a gruesome red, and an obvious sign of blood lust. The vampire opened its mouth and moved its mouth to his throat… Karrod's struggles increased. He attempted to reach for his daggers but the vampire had him pinned down.

Suddenly the weight was lifted off of him. Twice-Bitten kicked the vampire back and decapitated it with one smooth motion of his sword. He helped Karrod up.

"Can you walk?" Karrod grunted as he put weight on his leg. It hurt like hell but that would have to wait until later.

"I'm fine. Let's go." They hurried down the passageway and came out into the large chamber. There they found Shrug-Gro Shat and Siltta facing off against at least a dozen vampires. Shrug-Gro Shat was severely injured. His heavy armor had been torn to shreds and his blood flowed from his wounds. Several charred bodies lay around him as he continued to swing his axe. Despite all of this, the orc was still taunting and laughing at his adversaries.

"Is that all you've got? I've fought mudcrabs that were tougher than you." Siltta fared no better. A long gash lined her face and her armor was dented in several places, and she was favoring her right leg. She fought quickly with her blade, feigning to the left and striking with a blast of magic. A vampire went down screaming in flames. She glanced up and saw them emerging from the tunnel.

"Karrod! Twice-Bitten!" Relief was evident in her voice.

"It's about damn time you got here!" Shrug-Gro Shat as he blocked a vampire's strike. The vampire reeled around like serpent and took out the orc's legs. Shrug-Gro Shat fell to the ground. He took out a hand axe and with a mighty roar, forced the vampire back. By this time Karrod and Twice-Bitten had joined their comrades. It was not good. Karrod's sword felt like it weighed a ton. He could barely pick it up. Cuts lined his body and the blood only served to encourage the vampires. Siltta blasted a vampire with lightning who was leapt for Karrod and it was forced back.

"Siltta!" Shrug-Gro Shat quickly forced his way and threw himself in front the High Elf as an arrow from the upper levels took flight and embedded itself in his chest. The orc let out a painful gasp and coughed out a mouthful of blood. He fell to his knees. His eyes were losing focus as he put out one hand to steady himself.

"Shrug-Gro Shat!" Siltta rushed toward him only to be intercepted by another vampire.

"Out of my way!" She screamed as thrust out her hands. The vampire was shot back like as if hit by a cannon and thudded against a wall. It didn't get up. She knelt down to the orc and looked at him. There was too much blood. Siltta struggled to get a hold of herself as she placed her hands against the wound. Her hands glowed a bright white as she preformed a restoration spell. Twice-Bitten and Karrod took a few steps back and attempted to protect Siltta as she tended to Shrug-Gro Shat.

Siltta let a cry of desperation. The spell wasn't working! She closed her eyes and willed every ounce of her magicka to healing the wound. All it did was leave her covered in sweat and out of breath. It was no use.

"Dammit!" She yelled as she pounded the ground. She turned once more to Shrug-Gro Shat whose breath was coming in short wet gasps. "You can't die! Not here, not now! Get up," she said weakly as tears ran down her face, mixing with the blood and grime. Shrug-Gro Shat gave a small smile and held her hand.

"Sorry half pint, but it looks like this is the end of the road for me. I've had a good run though. Get out of here while you still have a chance. Go back home ask your family to take you back. Otherwise you'll just end up like me." Siltta continued to sob as Shrug-Gro Shat let go of her hand and closed his eyes with a simple dignity. After a moment… his breath stopped. Siltta just sat there numbly for a moment, staring incomprehensibly at the body of her friend.

The numbness was quickly replaced by fire. A hot rage that slowly built up in her until it threatened to erupt. A vampire slipped past Karrod. He yelled over his shoulder to warn Siltta. Siltta saw the vampire approach as if he were moving incredibly slow. She glanced over at her elven longsword that she had dropped on the ground. She reached out and picked it up. She looked at it curiously, as if she had never seen it before. By this time the vampire had almost reached her. Siltta's eyes narrowed and she leapt forward. The vampire collapsed; blood spewed from his body, staining her silver hair.

Siltta threw herself once more back into the battle. It was if she was possessed by a daedra. She showed no concern for her own wellbeing. All she cared for was to hurt as many of the vampires as she could. To make them pay for taking Shrug-Gro Shat. Suddenly the vampires withdrew, ducking into the passages as quickly as they had appeared. Karrod panted as he thrust his sword into the ground and leaned against it. A laugh suddenly echoed throughout the chamber, the same one as before. Out of one the corridors, several vampires emerged. One of them immediately caught Karrod's eye.

His red hair was spiky and came down past his ears. He was richly adorned and Karrod could make out several precious rings lining his fingers. He wore fine silk clothing and an enchanted sword hung at his belt. As he approached them, he smiled and revealed his teeth. He clapped his hands together several times in mock applause.

"Well, well, well," he said as glanced over at the vampires that they had killed. "It seems that they Guild have sent over hunters that are actually competent. Of course I expected it to be much easier but it's always nice to have a challenge. Right?" One of his subordinates nodded.

"Of course it is milord." Karrod pulled one of his daggers out from his pockets. This was definitely the vampire leader that the council had warned about. He must be incredibly powerful to unite so many vampires. The leader glanced over to where Shrug-Gro Shat lay. "Too bad about your friend though." Siltta took a step forward but Karrod placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

The vampire grinned. "We'll just move the body later. After all we mustn't let any blood go to waste and orc blood is a refined taste." Siltta shrugged Karrod's hand off her shoulder and ran forward with a battle cry.

"No! Siltta, get back her dammit!" Karrod cried after her. Siltta was deaf to his pleas. As Siltta neared the leader, his underlings merely stepped out of the way. The vampire smiled. He moved so quickly that Karrod was barely able to see him unsheathe his sword. Siltta apparently never even saw it coming at all. She stared down in shock at the blade that had run her clean through. The end of the blade could be seen protruding from her body, covered in blood. Siltta coughed out blood and weakly gripped the vampire's blade with her hands. She looked her killer in the eye.

"Damn you to hell!" she whispered fiercely. The vampire grinned wickedly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he gestured to their dark surroundings. "This is hell." And with that he yanked out his blade and Siltta collapsed to the ground. Her blood stained the cold stone floor red. Karrod just stood there frozen in shock. Two of his team members were dead. _It's my entire fault! _he thought despairingly. The council was foolish to give him this position. Siltta and Shrug-Gro Shat were good hunters. Now their blood was on his hands.

"Hey Redguard!" Karrod glanced slowly over to Twice-Bitten. The argonian regarded him with a steel gaze.

"I've been in some tough scrapes myself," he said as he gently touched the scars along his neck. "But there's one thing I've learned: never go out without a fight." The argonian let out a bitter laugh. "Who knows, maybe I'll go on to be named Thrice-Bitten." Twice-Bitten had a point. He made to make sure that their deaths weren't in vain. He would avenge them. Karrod picked up his sword with a new resolve in his heart: vengeance.

"Will you be able to fight with your arm like that?" Twice-Bitten snorted.

"I'll be fine. What about your leg?" Karrod had removed the arrow from his leg. Fortunately the arrow hadn't pierced any bones or torn any muscles.

"It's nothing serious." Karrod leaned in close and whispered into Twice-Bitten's ear. "You go left and I'll go right?" The argonian sighed wearily.

"It's as good a plan as any."

"Are you two quite done now?" The vampire leader said tiredly. "I grow weary of these trivial attempts." Karrod flung out his hand and shot a fire ball. The vampires were forced to scatter. While Karrod wasn't skilled in many of the magical arts, destruction was one he was proficient at, particularly fire based spells. One vampire rushed at him. Karrod blocked the first blow but the vampire twisted around and kicked him in the abdomen. Karrod flew backward and had the breath knocked out of him. Karrod rolled nimbly out of the way as the vampire leapt toward him and threw one of his daggers. The dagger imbedded itself into the vampire's chest

Members of the guild were always looking for new ways to combat vampires. Mages worked day and night to perfect new spells and enchantments to use against them. That dagger was one of their latest developments. Upon contact with a vampire, it let out a low continuous release of electric energy that bypassed a vampire's natural immunity to paralysis. The vampire would remain incapacitated for as long as the dagger had charge remaining. The dagger could would last half an hour or so. The vampire quickly collapsed to the ground.

Twice-Bitten growled as he met a vampire's blade. "If the first two couldn't get the job done, what makes you think you can?" Twice-Bitten roughly punched the vampire and followed through with a long slash diagonally against the torso. The vampire fell to the ground. Only two more and the leader remained. A vampire rushed to meet Karrod. Karrod went to block but it was too late. White pain shot up his spine as the vampire slashed at his hips. The wound was deep, at least a few inches. Karrod was barely able to side step the next strike. The blow nicked his armor.

Twice-Bitten wasn't faring any better. Blood loss was beginning to have its affect and his left arm hung almost useless at his side. His opponent had him pinned against a wall and was merely toying with him. The argonian swung wildly only to have the vampire dodge nimble and counter attack, forcing Twice-Bitten back. Sparks illuminated the dark hall when the blades collided with the stone walls. Twice-Bitten's tail darted out and attempted to sweep the vampire of his feet. The vampire back flipped out of the way and ran forward once more.

Twice-Bitten rolled out of the way but the vampire continued to hound him. Occasionally finding his mark and drawing more blood. Twice-Bitten tripped over a rock and fell backwards. The vampire lunged forward with his sword and the argonian was barely able to hold the blade back from his throat with his good arm. The vampire suddenly grinned and held out his hand. He summoned a dagger. Twice-Bitten's eyes widened in alarm. He tried to kick the dagger out of the vampire's hand but it was no good. The vampire howled triumphantly and thrust the dagger forward. It found its target.

Karrod looked up when he heard Twice-Bitten's cry of pain. He saw a vampire knelt over the argonian's body, licking the blood off a dagger. In the second it took for Karrod to take this in, a fist connected with his head and his vision was lit up once more by white light. He got to his knees shakily.

"Pilper, that's enough. I'll take it from here." The leader walked towards Karrod and shook his head wearily. "Come on, I know you've got more fight in you. After all, your friends are dead and the only one to blame is yourself." Karrod gritted his teeth and leapt up with an upward swing. The vampire laughed and parried it with one hand with barely any effort. "Have I hit a nerve?"

"Shut your Goddamn mouth!" Karrod shouted, sweat and blood running down his haggard face.

"Oh, that's good," The vampire cooed. "That's right! Hate me! Come at me with everything you got. I want to feel every fiber of hate you feel towards me. It's almost as good as blood!" He screamed. Karrod yelled and threw a fireball; the vampire easily ducked and cast a silencing spell at Karrod. "Can't have you playing fire, can I?" Karrod reached into his belt and threw another dagger. The vampire easily caught it and dropped it into the ground. The vampire leader continued to push Karrod back up the corridor where the team had first descended. The smile on his face was eerie; he got so much enjoyment out of toying Karrod.

Karrod lunged forward and the vampire twisted aside and broke Karrod's arm with a simple snap. Karrod cried out in pain and wasn't able to bock as the vampire slashed at his legs just beneath the knees. He fell to the ground and rolled. Karrod desperately reached into his pack for another one of his daggers but a foot came crashing down smashed his hand. That same foot rolled Karrod onto his back and pressed itself against his throat. Karrod closed his eyes and waited for the end. He tried his best and wasn't good enough. He let down his team, the council, and his master.

"So pitiful, I see a broken man before me." The vampire looked down at him and spat on him. "You don't deserve to die by my hand. I'll let you live so you can continue to go on hating me. My name is Luspinian. Remember that name now." The vampire walked down the hallway a little bit before looking over his shoulder one last time at Karrod. "Don't worry. We'll be sure to treat the bodies of your friends with the due respect they deserve," he said with a laugh.

Karrod was filled with such overwhelming self loathing at that moment that he wished that vampire had taken his life. He rolled over and grunted in pain. The door that led out of the cave was about 50 yards away. He could see sunlight peeking out from beneath the door. He began the long crawl near it.

"And that's what happened," Karrod concluded quietly to Irbran. The fire flickered dimly against the darkness. "I was found a few days later by some travelers and was taken back to the Guild. I can thank my heritage that I wasn't infected and didn't turn." Irbran just sat there for a moment in silence, a rare thing indeed for him. He had never known that his friend had gone through so much. No wonder he was so cold and withdrawn. It certainly explained why he was so obsessed with this particular target.

"Did they… Did they ever find Luspinian?" Irbran asked hesitantly. Karrod grunted.

"No by the time, they sent more guild members to the cave they found the entire complex abandoned without a trace. "

"Karrod, it wasn't your fault." Karrod laughed bitterly and looked over at Irbran.

"Everybody kept on saying that Irbran. If only I believed it. I could have done something. I should have immediately known that it was a trap and led them out of there. Their deaths are my fault." They sat their in silence once more until Karrod got up. "Come on, you've rested long enough. Let's keep moving." Irbran nodded and stood up.

"Alright." As Karrod contemplated how to ford the river, Irbran couldn't help but frown and think about everything that Karrod had told him. Well, Karrod was his friend so he would do whatever it took to rid of this survivor guilt.

**Now you know the tortured past of Karrod. As for Siltta, Shrug-Gro Shat, and Twice-Bitten, from the start I knew that they were expendable. I liked them but they had to go for the sake of the plot. Now we'll be returning to M'Dargo and Chirranirr where M'Dargo will begin having trouble hiding his affliction. Review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. **


	9. Revelations and Departures

A/N: Attempting to uphold a more regular update schedule.

**Reviews: Vilku, Nae'blis**

M'Dargo awoke in a start. His breath came in heavy gasps. He blinked several times and took in his surroundings. He was in an old abandoned barn. The scent of hay filled his nostrils. M'Dargo sat up and shook bits of hay from his fur. He took of his shirt and carefully removed the bandages on his chest. He let out a sigh of relief to see that he was healing properly. The burns had almost healed already; partly because of Chirranirr's restoration spell, and partly due to his own advanced healing abilities.

He put his shirt back on and leaned back in the pile of the stared up at the barn's wooden ceiling. Through the small cracks in it, he could see that the light was slowly getting dimmer. The pale golden light was slowly moving across a section of the barn wall, casting shadows. Four days. Four days since he had last fed. If he were to go out in the sun now, he would be killed in a matter of seconds. The longer he went without feeding, the stronger he became, but so did his weakness to the sun and fire.

M'Dargo clenched his teeth and suppressed a shudder and put a hand to his head. Something inside him twisted and coiled; something wild and untamable. The bloodlust was back. M'Dargo stiffened as he heard a sound and relaxed instantly when he recognized that it was Chirranirr. He glanced over and saw her yawning heavily and stretching. M'Dargo smiled as he looked at her. She had nice teeth, he noticed. Straight and clean. The thought just popped into his head. That seemed to be happening more and more lately.

"Glad to see you awake," M'Dargo told her as he got to his feet. Chirranirr snorted and yawned once more.

"Personally I could use a few more hours." Chirranirr complained as she gathered her things. "But you just had to keep setting the pace. Why you in such a hurry?" M'Dargo glanced out hole in the wooden frame of the barn. The sun was just setting below the horrizon, the top of it could be seen peaking out.

"No reason," he said nonchalantly, looking over his shoulder to answer. Chirranirr turned to face him without looking up.

"Come here, I need to check your- M'Dargo!" M'Dargo frowned and looked over to her.

"What's wrong?" Chirranirr's eyes widened considerably, looking at him with equal parts shock and alarm. A chill ran down M'Dargo's spine followed quickly by a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He quickly turned around and stared straight at the wooden barn wall as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. His shoulders were hunched and the tension in his body was like a coiled snake waiting to spring.

How could he have been so careless! He gone without feeding for days and now it must be painfully obvious what he truly was. M'Dargo expected Chirranirr to start screaming or running at any moment. What she did next surprised him. Chirranirr came up to him and gently touched him on the shoulder. M'Dargo flinched and his fur stood on end and bristled. Chirranirr sighed. It looked like they were going to have to do this the hard way. Chirranirr quickly spun him arounda and before M'Dargo could react she placed her hands on his face.

Chirranirr let out a soft gasp. His face was so cool, almost cold to the touch. M'Dargo still refused to meet her eyes so Chirranirr tipped his chin up until he was looking at her. She frowned. His eyes seemed to have changed. Before they had been red, but now it seemed like they almost glowed.

"What's wrong? Are you sick or something?" _That was one way of putting it, _M'Dargo thought. He shook his head gently, savoring the warmth of Chirranirr's hands.

"No I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little under the weather," he said quietly. Chirranirr bit her lip and cocked her head to the side.

"You sure? I don't think I've ever seen you this pale before. That's not to say," she added, "that you weren't pale before, but now you're even paler." M'Dargo reluctantly took Chirranirr's hands away from his face.

"I've always had a pale complexion," he said as he picked up his bow and pack. M'Dargo glanced at the cracks between the boards of wood. It was safe now. Chirranirr stood there with her arms crossed. Her expression was still unbeliving but there wasn nothing that M'Dargo could do about that now. M'Dargo opened the door to the barn and stepped out into the crisp air. He took a deep breath, letting the scents of the earth fill his nostrils. Suddenly M'Dargo staggered. He felt a tremor where his heart was and his canines ached profusely. His breath came in gasps. He leaned a hand against a tree as he struggled to gain his composure.

It was the bloodlust alright. The longer he went without feeding, the stronger it would get.

"M'Dargo, are you alright?" The words seemed to come from far away, almost as if he were underwater. M'Dargo shook his head roughly and resurfaced. Sound quickly returned to the proper volume. He turned to see Chirranirr looking at him with a very concerned look on her face. M'Dargo mentally reprimended himself while pasting a smile on his face.

"I'm fine. It must have been something I ate." Chirranirr smirked playfully.

"Are you saying there's something wrong with my cooking? I'll have you know I used to cook at an inn and none of the guests complained." M'Dargo smiled and leaned against the tree. He looked down to examine his claws.

"How was it that you were fired again? Something to with a failed dish…?" Chirranirr laughed.

"I already told you Numeen was the one who made it. I, being the good friend that I am, took the blame."

"Ah, you're so valiant and self sacrficing."

"And that must mean that you're my knight in shining armor," she said as she walked over to stand beside him. "Lead the way Sir Knight." M'Dargo grinned and they set off. The two moons rose slowly in the night sky, like ships gracefully sailing along a lake.

"It's a beautiful night," M'Dargo remarked. Chirranirr glanced over to him and smiled.

"Yes it is, but it's getting colder every day. Winter is coming," she added disgruntedly." M'Dargo looked at her curiously.

"What's so wrong with winter?" Chirranirr looked at M'Dargo as if he had grown a second head.

"I keep forgetting that you're not from Cyrodill. What's winter like in Elsywer?"

"It's really nice actually in the part I'm from. The days aren't nearly as hot or as long. There are plenty of holdiays and festivals as well." Chirranirr nodded as she stepped over a tree root.

"It's the same here except the weather is much worse. It gets absolutlely freezing and it snows for days on end. I hate the snow!" she said vetmently

"What's so bad abou it?"

"It gets all over your fur and then when it melts you end up soaked. It's the worst!" M'Dargo took a brief glance at the stars to make sure that they were still heading in the right direction before returning his attention to Chirranirr.

"I wouldn't know. I've never seen snow before."

"What?" Chirranirr exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding." M'Dargo shook his head.

"No it's true. The northern regions of Elsywer are dry grasslands. There's not much water at all and certainly no snow. Further south there are jungles and more rain, but it's too warm for snow."

"Wow," Chirranirr said softly, "someone who's never seen snow before…" She closed her eyes and imagined what that must be like. M'Dargo shook her arm gently to shake her out of her contemplation.

"Stop it," he said teasingly with a smile. "You're starting to make me feel bad." Chirranirr gently shoved M'Dargo back with a push while laughing.

"Well don't worry. We'll be seeing plenty of snow once we reach Cheydinhal. It's not quite as bad as Bruma but it gets its fair shair of snow as well." Distracted by their conversation, M'Dargo didn't realize the danger until it was almost too late. He shoved Chirranirr into the bushes rather forcefully. Chirranirr sat up and growled at M'Dargo furiously, her fur bristling.

"In the name of the Nine Divine what are you-"

"Quiet!" M'Dargo hissed furiously. Chirranirr was taken back and ceased her questions. "Get down, stay quiet, and don't move." Chirranirr reluctantly complied. Chirranirr's head dissapeared into the bushes just as a figure stepped out from behind a tree. M'Dargo took a quick look before looking down and hiding his face. It was a bandit. A Khajiit wearing fur armor and carrying a war axe. The bandit held out his weapon and pointed it at M'Dargo.

"Stand and deliver, whelp." _What an original thing for a highway man to say, _M'Dargo thought dryly. M'Dargo raised his hands in the air.

"I don't want any trouble." The bandit spat on the ground and began to approach M'Dargo.

"Well it looks like some trouble just found you. Who else is here? I heard you talking to someone." M'Dargo gritted his teeth and out of the corner of his eye he could sense the outline of Chirranirr's figure in the bushes.

"There's no one else here. Just me."

"I don't believe you!" the bandit growled angrily as he shoved M'Dargo. M'Dargo was forced to take a couple steps back. "And look me in they eye when you speak to me, dammit!" M'Dargo weighed his options. If the bandit got a good look at his face he would clearly see that he was a vampire. He would be shocked and afraid and M'Dargo would have the advantage. On the other hand, the bandit might say something that Chirranirr would overhear. But then again he couldn't place Chirranirr in danger. Well, at least anymore danger than traveling alone with a vampire. The bandit had grown restless and nervous. His hand tightened its grip on the war axe. Nobody else had stood up against him like this before. They had always been intimidated given him their money without much of a hassle.

"Fine," M'Dargo said quietly after a moment. "As you wish." M'Dargo lifted his head, and it was at that moment that the moons were no longer hidden by clouds and their light illuminated his face. The bandit let out a cry of horror and stumbled backwards. M'Dargo felt a dull ache in his chest. He was a monster. That's how everyone always reacted to him. It was a perfectly natural and logical reaction as well. When M'Dargo had first seen his first vampire he had reacted the same way. Now M'Dargo wondered what the vampire that had attacked him had been thinking that night. Was he feared and hated everywhere he went as well?

_ What about Chirranirr? _a voice in his head suddenly said. _She isn't afraid. _

_ That's because she doesn't know the truth, _M'Dargo said to himself. _If she knew she would fear and hate me just like everyone else in this world. _

_ You don't know that…_

M'Dargo was shaken out of his internal dialogue as the bandit waved his war axe at M'Dargo wildly.

"Stay back from me monster!" he growled. "Vile scum! Vam-" Before the Khajiit had a chance to finish his sentence; M'Dargo ran forward and punched him hard in the jaw. M'Dargo pulled his punch because this long without feeding he could end up killing him if he wasn't careful. The bandit staggered backwards. M'Dargo crossed his arms and glared at him menacingly.

"I suggest you get out of here before you get hurt." The bandit replied by swinging the axe at M'Dargo with all of his strength. M'Dargo easily side stepped it and delivered a swift jab to the Khajiit's sternum that knocked the breath out of him. The bandit wheezed and leaned against a tree for support. "This is your last chance," M'Dargo told him. The bandit charged at him once more. M'Dargo sighed and stood his ground. The bandit brought the axe high above his head. Chirranirr let out a gasp from her position in the bushes. M'Dargo wasn't going to move! The blade swung down and all was silent for a moment.

The bandit and Chirranirr seemed to both be in equal shock. M'Dargo had stopped the axe with his bare hands; one hand on the handle, the other on the head of the axe. The bandit was wide eyed and his breath came in gasps. M'Dargo twisted the weapon out of his grip and tossed it to the ground. This bandit wasn't particulary brave. He had just instincitvely done what he had done his whole life when he was threatened: fight. Now, however, the Khajiit took off running as hard as he could in the opposite direction. M'Dargo turned and watched him go until he was out of sight before turning to the place where Chirranirr had hid.

"Chirranirr, he's gone. You can come out now." Chirranirr stood slowly and brushed her clothes free of dirt before meeting M'Dargo's eyes. Her gaze was piercing and M'Dargo looked away after only a moment.

"M'Dargo," she said slowly and cautiously. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Chirranirr frowned.

"Don't you play dumb with me! You know exactly what I mean. You stopped an axe with your bare hands, M'Dargo." He shrugged.

"Anyone can do it with the proper amount of force and timing." Chirranirr cried out in exasperation in threw her hands into the air.

"There you go again! Always avoiding the question. Why did that bandit react to you like that? What was it he called you?" M'Dargo turned to face Chirranirr.

"I don't know what he called me. Nothing kind I can assure you." The two of them just stood there for a moment. Crimson eyes locked with emerald ones. Chirranirr sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"That's it. I'm not talking to you until I get some answers," Chirranirr said as she walked off. M'Dargo stared after her for a moment before running to catch up with her.

"Chirranirr, you don't really mean that do you?" Chirranirr's silence seemed to indicate that she did. M'Dargo sighed. Females! They were enough to drive you mad. "I promised to tell you everything once we got to Cheydinhal, didn't I?" Chirranirr paused. He had done that. But then again, the more time they spent together, the more questions were raised. There was something definitely different about M'Dargo. He was stronger than anyone had the right to be, and it seemed that he was hiding something. Chirranirr never liked males that weren't honest. M'Dargo was honest about everything else except for this subject. Well, she wasn't going to stop until she figured it out.

They continued to travel in silence. The only sounds that could be heard was the rustling of leaves in the wind and the calls of owls. Chirranirr led the way and M'Dargo followed. They covered a lot of ground, but soon the sun would begin to rise.

"Chirranirr, we should stop for the night." Chirranirr nodded wordlessly. Pushing through the brambles, M'Dargo discovered a fort that had fallen into disrepair. Why did it seem that these forts were always abandoned? Shrugging, M'Dargo walked up to the entrance and placed his hand against the cool stone. He reached for the door and slowly opened it and turned to Chirranirr. "After you," he told her. Chirranirr brushed past him without a word. M'Dargo rolled his eyes. She really took the silent treatment seriously.

The meal was a quiet and somber ocassion. There was a lot of avoiding eye contact. The only sound that could be heard was was the quiet flickering of the fire and the chewing and swallowing of food. When he had finished eating, Chirranirr wordlessly took his plate and cleaned it. M'Dargo looked away and closed his eyes. He hated this. He would rather have her yelling at him than this silence. It was almost like a tangible wall that separated them. M'Dargo took out his worn map and spread it out carefully on the ground. He calculated their location and then traced a route with his finger tip.

"We should reach the Silverfish River any day now," he informed Chirranirr. "We could take the bridges on the Yellow Road to cross it and the Road River. Then we could travel north to reach Cheydinhall or travel along the Blue Road." Chirranirr remained silent.

"Did you hear me?" M'Dargo asked her.

"I heard you," she replied as she got out her bedroll and laid it on the ground. She slid into it and turned away from M'Dargo. M'Dargo sighed. That was probably the best response he was going to get from her. He doused the fire and got out his own bedroll. Soon he was drifting off to sleep.

_M'Dargo ran through the dark forest, the sharp branches tearing scratching and tearing chunks of his skin and fur. Mist seemed to be emmiting from the ground itself. It obscured his vision and hid shadows that seemed to be darting around the trees and their branches. He heard a cry up ahead and ran faster. His breath came in gasps and his hearted pounded painfully in his chest. M'Dargo tripped and fell, but he continued on regardless. He burst into a clearing and saw a figure holding someone by the throat. They were both soaked in blood. As M'Dargo got closer he recognized the figure that was being held roughly. Chirranirr!_

_ Blood clotted her fur and her eyes were dull and lifeless. Blood poured lazily out of two puncture wounds on her neck. The figure threw Chirranirr's lifeless body to the ground and laughed. Rage exploded from M'Dargo's very core and he charged forward._

_ "You monster!" he growled. The figure merely laughed once more and easily caught M'Dargo in an iron grip. _

_ "I'm not the monster," the figure explained patiently. "You and I are one in the same." M'Dargo looked the figure in the eye. It was himself! All the breath seemed to have been knocked from his body. M'Dargo was thrown roughly to the ground and skidded for several feet.._

_ "No," he moaned shaking his head violently with his hand on his ears. "No! No! No!" He took another look at Chirranirr's body. Her eyes seemed to be staring at him, accusing him. "This can't be happening!" _

_ "Oh but it is!" his otherself exclaimed gleefully "You killed her! You're a bloodsucking, murdering leech. No matter how much you try to hide or deny it, your actions won't have any effect on the inevitable. It's in the very nature of a vampire to devour everything around him," and with that the other M'Dargo stepped forward and rammed his arm clean through M'Dargo's chest. _

M'Dargo awoke with a scream, his breath coming heavy and his brow drenched in sweat. He put his hand to his head and tried to take deep breaths. It felt like he couldn't get enough air. Each breath was a mix between a gasp and a sob. Residual images of the nightmare seemed to run through his mind beyond his control. It wasn't true. He would never hurt Chirranirr. But his bloodlust had been growing lately. If he didn't feed soon there was no telling what he might do. Chirranirr rolled out of her bedroll, awoken by M'Dargo's cries. She quickly scrambled over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"M'Dargo, what's wrong?" she asked concerened. "Are you alright?" The cold treatment she had been giving him seemed to have been forgotten for the moment. M'Dargo looked up at her and let out a heavy sigh of relief. His shudders finally stopped.

"You're okay," he muttered to himself. "It was just a dream." Chirranirr frowned and sat down beside him.

"What dream?" she asked him. M'Dargo just shook his head.

"It was nothing," he said. "Just a nightmare."

"What was it about?" M'Dargo remained silent and looked away from her. Chirranirr hesitated for a moment before scooting closer to him and wrapping her arm around M'Dargo. At first he resisted and tried to shrug her off, but reluctantly stopped and leaned against her. Once again Chirranirr noted how cold M'Dargo always seemed to be. It was like he was made of ice. They just sat like that for a few minutes. Just the two of them in the dark and abondoned fort.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Chirranirr eventually asked him. "Sometimes talking about it makes it better," she added. M'Dargo remained silent for a moment before turning tot face Chirranirr. Chirranirr looked into his sad and wery red eyes.

"I had a dream where you died." M'Dargo told her simply. Chirranirr was taken back.

"Oh," she said.

"It was my fault," M'Dargo continued. "I couldn't save you. You laid there bleeding and there was nothing I could do…" M'Dargo's voice trailed off until it could no longer be heard. Chjirranirr shrugged.

"It was just a dream M'Dargo. It's not going to happen." M'Dargo nodded slowly and wearily.

"I know. I'll make sure of it." Eventually M'Dargo told Chirranirr that he would be going back to sleep and that he shouldn't keep her up any longer. Chirranirr got up but not without swiftly kissing him on the cheek. Chirranirr quickly left the stunned M'Dargo and ran back to her bedroll and slipped in, obviously just as embarrassed as he was. M'Dargo could soon hear Chirranirr's gentle, even breathing as she drifted back to sleep. M'Dargo lay there staring at the dark ceiling. Eventually he turned over and fell asleep once more.

Fortunately, this bout of sleep was free of nightmares. M'Dargo awoke feeling slightly more refreshed than when he had fallen asleep. He stood up and approached the door.. Glancing down to where the bottom of the door mett the stone floor, he could see no light peaking through the crack. M'Dargo cautiously opened the door. A gust of wind blew fiercly and scattered dancing leaves into the air. The sun had already set. In the far distance heavy clouds could be seen gathering. It might rain. But off to the left the sky was clear and the stars shown dimmly in the sky. M'Dargo took a deep breath, letting the scents around him fill his nose. Everything seemed fine.

"Looks like we might get some rain." M'Dargo quickly whirled around and in the process got his foot tangled in a tree root and fell over. He ended up on his back looking up at Chirranirr who was gazing down at him with a bemused expression.

"Sorry," M'Dargo muttered as he got to his feet. "You startled me." Chirranirr smirked.

"That much was obvious M'Dargo." M'Dargo shrugged. Chirranirr turned to face him.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" she asked him. M'Dargo pulled his map out of his pack and gave it a cursory glance.

"We if we make good time we should be able to get on the yellow road and use a bridge to cross the Silverfish River." Chirranirr nodded.

"Good. No more tight rope walking our way across a river." M'Dargo sighed.

"I already apologized to you about that. When are you going to let it go?"

"Never," Chirranirr replied smugly. M'Dargo groaned. Sometimes he questioned whether he had done the right thing by diving in after her. Oh well, too late for second guessing now.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes."

"Alright then," M'Dargo said. "Lead the way. We want to start heading northwest." With that they set off once more. Walking wasn't a particular fast way of traveling. It was tiresome and you could only travel so many miles in a day. A horse would have been much faster, but horses were expensive. Unless you stole one, then they were free, but M'Dargo wasn't planning on doing that anytime soon. He had sinned enough already. M'Dargo glanced around him. He could see birds off in the distance that appeared shrouded in blue light. Chirranirr was also shrouded in this light. The only diffrence in his vision that M'Dargo had noticed since becoming a vampire was that he could detect life, a useful skill for avoiding others. It helped him elude others countless times before.

They had been walking along for about an hour when it happened. M'Dargo had been walking easily enough when he suddenly stumbled. His chest tightened in pain and a piercing headache wracked his brain. His breath came in painful and quick gasps. A feral, vicious desire begvan to well up in him. The desire to rip, tear, and most of all, to drink. Chirranirr had noticed that M'Dargo had fallen behind and went back to him.

"M'Dargo, what happened? Did you fall again?" M'Dargo twisted away from Chirranirr and slowly got onto his knees. His vision had begun to go red and Chirranirr's heartbeat seemed to pound loudly like a drum. _Get a hold of yourself M'Dargo! _he told himself fiercly. He couldn't afford to lose control right now. M'Dargo forced himself to take deep breaths and his hands clenched the ground tightly. Slowly the feeling began to subside. M'Dargo got to his feet unsteadily and Chirranirr rushed forward to support him.

"You are sick dammit!" she said angrily as M'Dargo cautiously took a few unsure steps forward. "I suppose it was your stupid male pride that compelled you to not tell me." M"Dargo attempted to grin but it appeared to be more of a grimace than anything else.

"Yes. I suppose it was stupid not tell you," he admitted to himself. Chirranirr shook her head irritably.

"Never mind that, come here." She led M'Dargo to a boulder and carefully helped him sit down. She sat down and pulled out her pack and began to search around in it for something. M'Dargo eyed her curiously with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. His apprehension was confirmed when she removed a pink vial from her bag. M'Dargo grimaced and looked away.

"What's that you got there?" he asked her. Chirranirr shrugged as she removed the cork from the opening and set it aside.

"Just something I mixed up a while ago for such an occasion. It's an old herbal remedy my mother taught me. It can cure just about anything. Here," Chirranirr handed him the potion. "Drink up." M'Dargo looked down at the potion carefully. He raised it to his nostrils and cautiously took a small sniff. He immediately regretted doing so and if it wasn't for Chirranirr's quick reflexes he would have dropped the potion, and it would have shattered.

"Hey!" Chirranirr said angrily as she carefully clutched her potion. "Be more careful," she reproached M'Dargo. "You almost wasted it." M"Dargo looked at her incredulously.

"Are you trying to kill me? It smelled like a rat had crawled inside and died."

"That's ridiculous," Chirranirr informed him. "I cooked the rat first before grinding it up." M'Dargo's eyes widened in shock. Chirranirr gave a small laugh and shook her head. "I'm just joking. There's nothing like that in there." She held the potion to M'Dargo. "Drink it this time." M'Dargo looked at it cautiously. If it smelled like that the taste must be…

"No, I'm not drinking it." Chirranirr sighed as she smoothed her leggings and leaned forward. "I guess you leave me no choice." M'Dargo scooted around the boulder hastily but Chirranirr pursued him. She grabbed his arm and pulled herself closer.

"What are you doing?" he asked in concern at the look in her eyes. Chirranirr smiled wickedly.

"You're going to drink this potion and get better, that's what I'm doing." M'Dargo broke free of her grip and stood up and began backing up, keeping the boulder between him and Chirranirr. He spread his arms out for balance and feignted to the left Chirranirr matched him. He took a couple steps to the right, and Chirranirr matched him once more. M'Dargo decided to make a break for it. He ran forward and used the boulder to take a running leap. For a second he thought he had made it. That thought was quickly disillusioned as he felt Chirranirr grab him by the leg and pull him to the ground. She quickly pinned him to the ground, and before he had time to react, she shoved the opening of the potion into his mouth. She then quickly pinched his nose shut. "You'll have to drink it if you want to breathe." M'Dargo halfheartedly tried to free himself but Chirranirr's grip was iron clad. He could have freed himself if he really wanted to, but he knew that Chirranirr wouldn't stop hounding him.

M'Dargo reluctantly swallowed the potion, and Chirranirr carefully got off of him. M"Dargo coughed fiercly and sat up in a crouch. "Honestly M'Dargo, you're worse than a cub. That's a trick my mother used to use on me when I was little." M'Dargo wretched and took out his water skin in an attempt to rid his mouth of the foul taste.

"If you inherited her alchemy skills I can understand why," M'Dargo muttered under his breath as he placed it back in his pack. Chirranirr was putting the empty potion bottle back into her bag and her ears perked up. She glanced over at M'Dargo out of the corner of her eye.

"Did you say something?" M'Dargo shook his head.

"No, nothing." Chirranirr picked up her bag and slipped it over her shoulders. M'Dargo looked at her for a moment. She looked beautiful in the moonlight. Blue moonlight lit up her light golden fur. M'Dargo got to his feet slowly with his heart in his chest.

"Chirranirr." She looked at him curiously. As her gaze fell on him, M'Dargo was suddenly at a loss for words. He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Thank you… For the potion," he clarified. "I'm sure it'll help." Chirranirr smiled warmly at him.

"You're welcome. You know what they say: 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." M'Dargo nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose you're right." The carried on and eventually they came to the Yellow Road. The road was worn but in a good condition. It was lined with gray stones. M'Dargo bent down and touched them with his hand. "These are roads are better than the ones in Elswyer; they're not dirt tracks." He glanced over his shoulder at Chirranirr inquisitley. "Why is it called the Yellow Road if the stones aren't yellow?" Chirranirr shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know M'Dargo. Sometimes names just don't make sense." M'Dargo pulled out his map and glanced it over.

"I suppose the Gold Road and Green Road aren't gold are green either." Chirranirr smiled softly.

"I think that would be a safe bet." M'Dargo gave a small huff as he carefully stored his map in his pack and stood up.

"Cyrodiil sure is a confusing place," he noted. Chirranirr walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned against him.

"Well it's a good thing you have me as your guide." M'Dargo smiled wirly.

"How fortunate for me."

"Very." They continued on. They didn't meet anyone else along the road. Who would be foolish enough to travel along it at this time of night? Well M"Dargo and Chirranirr were two such people, but M"Dargo could handle any danger that could come up, or so he thought. At the moment he was feeling better than before. Who knows? Maybe Chirranirr's potion did help with his bloodlust. If nothing else, it could be a placebo that he could hold on to and hope that it worked. As they walked along the road, they came upon a part that were obstructed by brambles and thorns from bushes that had grown rampant along the side. "Why pay the Empire's taxes if they can't maintain roads and the like?" Chirranirr muttered under her breath as she forced her away among the brambles.

"Be careful," M'Dargo warnered her as he held a cluster of thorns back as Chirranirr made her way through. "They're sharp."

"I know that!" Chirranirr bristled as she finally freed herself, but not before one of the thorns found its mark. "Ow!" she cried out as a thorn imbedded itself in her hand. Chirranirr reached down and yanked it free, but not without tearing out some of her fur. She looked down at the blood welling up and sighed. "Great. Now I'm bleeding. M'Dargo, hand me-"

M'Dargo's bloodlust, which had lain dormant for the moment, suddenly came alive. Because he hadn't fed in days, it quickly engulfed him and overran any rational thought that he might have had. M'Dargo wasn't himself anymore. He was something much more primitive and primal. He threw Chirranirr to the ground by the road and pinned her arms above her head, exposing her neck. "M'Dargo!" Chirranirr cried infuriated. "What the hell do you think you're doing! I may like you but that doesn't mean that you can-" Chirranirr's voice suddenly faltered as she realized that M'Dargo didn't seem to be listening to her anymore. His eyes were dilated and seemed to be glowing an even darker crimson red. A feral growl rose in the back of his throat and Chirranirr's heart began to pound painfully in her chest. M'Dargo opened his mouth and revealed his pronounced canines that seemed to have become even longer. Chirranirr's mind froze at the sight of them, and then began to work rapidly in a flurry of activity.

All the little things that she had brushed off before: the pale skin, the red eyes, traveling at night, such a reaction to fire, impossible physical feats, avoiding talking about his past, the sinking sensation that he was hiding something, all came to mind. It all made sense. One word suddenly came to mind. One word that erased every other thought and sent a shiver down her spine and made the fur on her neck stand up. Vampire. M'Dargo licked his lips slowly as he stared down at his prey before him. They passed over his canines that seemed to glow in the moonlight. He ignored Chirranirr's protests and leaned forward to inhale her scent. She smelled of fear and sweat. It was absolutely intoxicating. Chirranirr attempted to free herself, but M'Dargo roughly shoved her back down hard enough to leave bruises. He reached forward and tore the neck of her shirt off as it were tissue paper.

Chirranirr began to struggle and thrash around, but that only seemed to excite M'Dargo even more. Prey also struggled before succumbing to the inevitable. M'Dargo could hear her heart beat as loud as a drum; he could hear the very blood passing through her veins. He opened his mouth and thick saliva slowly oozed off his descended canines. M'Dargo lowered his head and headed straight for the jugular. Chirranirr's struggling had become frantic at this point. No matter how hard she twisted and turned she couldn't free herself. M'Dargo was only an inch away from her neck. He was about to sink his fangs in and quench his all consuming thirst when Chirranirr was finally able to free her right arm.

"M'Dargo!" She smacked him in the face with all the force she had, and M'Dargo's grip slackened. Chirranirr wasted no time freeing herself. She crawled several feet away from him before collapsing in a shivering and gasping mess. The slap seemed to have brought M'Dargo back to his senses. He blinked his eyes as if suddenly awakening from a deep slumber. He glanced around him confused, as if he didn't know where he was. All he had remembered was Chirranirr traversing the thorns and then… M'Dargo glanced over to Chirranirr whose breath was coming in gasps and part of her shirt was ripped off. The realization at what had happened hit M'Dargo like a war hammer. He slowly crawled over to Chirranirr. He hesitated for a moment.

"Chirranirr, I…" he reached forward with one hand but Chirranirr saw his movement and flinched. M'Dargo hesitated and dropped his hand. "I never meant for anything like this to happen," he finally admitted quietly. Chirranirr responded so softly that M'Dargo almost didn't catch what she said.

"You lied to me."

"Chirranirr."

"Get away from me!" Chirranirr screamed. M'Dargo fell back as if he had been struck. Chirranirr finally looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears, whether they were from anger or something else it was hard to tell. A whirlwind of emotions filled her at the moment: anger, fear, betrayl, and most of all, disgust with herself for not seeing it sooner. "All this time," Chirranirr slowly began getting to her feet. "You were lying to me. You're a-"

"Vampire," M'Dargo finished for her with a sigh. M'Dargo shook his head and laughed bitterly. He got to his feet and looked at Chirranirr inquiringly. "What was I suppose to do?" he asked. "Go up to you and say: 'Hello my name is M'Dargo and I'm a vampire.' M'Dargo laughed once more, a hollow laugh that had no mirth at all. "You would have just run off. Just like everybody else."

"Maybe it would have been better if that was what had happened!" Chirranirr spat at him angrily. "A minute ago you had me pinned down and your intention was quite clear. I was your meal, plain and simple. I could see it in your eyes." Chirranirr's voice began to tremble. "Was that your plan the whole time, huh? Lure some unsuspecting victim into the middle of nowhere?"

"No!" he protested. "Chirranirr, that's not it all. Listen to me. I-"

"No." Chirranirr's voice had changed. Where before it had been angry and uncertain, now it was cold and confident. M"Dargo mouth fell open. Chirranirr looked at him with a piercing and icy look. If looks could kill, M'Dargo would have been pushing up daisies by now. "All you males are always the same. You lie and decieve. You hurt and maim. It was foolish of me to think that you were the exception, that you were different, that you were…" Chirranirr's voice trailed off. A heavy wind began to pick up and the crack of thunder could be heard in the distance. The sky opened up and it began to rain. Within seconds they were both soaked to the bone. Chirranirr raised her head and looked at M'Dargo. Tears began to roll down her face, barely distinguishable from the rain. "Leave," she said once more, almost pleadingly. M'Dargo picked up his things and took one last look at Chirranirr.

"So this is it?" he asked her. "This is how it ends? What we've been through doesn't mean anything?"

"I thought it did," Chirranirr whispered painfully. "You went went and proved me wrong though." M'Dargo gave her one more pleading look, as if his eyes could explain his actions, that he never meant her any harm, but Chirranirr remained stoic. M'Dargo started walking. Walking became trotting and before he knew it, he was all out sprinting. What direction he was going he did not know. All he knew was that he had to get as far away from Chirranirr as possible. He put her at risk. It was selfish of him to have stayed with her as long as he did. Stupid to think that she would be able to look past what he was: a bloodsucking monster, a vampire.

Chirranirr just stood there for several minutes, staring off at the direction M'Dargo had taken. He had gone off from the road and kept going and going, becoming smaller until he was just a dot that was soon lost among the terrain and trees. That was it. He was gone. She didn't feel any better. There was no righteous anger to lend her strength, only numb emptyness. She felt worse than she had before. Chirranirr shook her head and tried to ignore the rain kept beating down on her. She was soaked and so were all her possessions, but she didn't care. Was their time together really just a lie? Chirranirr sighed as another thunderbolt danced across the sky.

"Numeen was right," Chirranirr said under her breath. "I really know how to pick them." A clap of thunder rang out, and Chirranirr flinched. She couldn't doubt her decision now. What was done was done. Even if she wanted to… not saying that she did! But if she wanted to… M'Dargo was long gone. She had told him quite plainly to go away. What reason would he have for coming back? Chirranirr set off along the road seeking shelter. Eventually Chirranirr came to the Imperial Bridge. She crossed the Silverfish River and walked east along the northern bank until coming to the Imperial Bridge Inn.

Chirranirr opened the door and stepped in, glad to be free of the rain. The ground floor had a small sitting area and dinning room. A Dark Elf stood behind the engraved bar polishing a glass absent mindedly. Chirranirr shook herself in an attempt to dry off before heading over to the proprioter. The Dark Elf looked up at her, but not without a little bit of distaste. Chirranirr couldn't blame her. She was in a sorry state. She was dripping on the floor and her clothes were torn and covered in mud.

"I'm Davela Hlaren, I run this inn. Can I help you?" Chirranirr nodded.

"I'd like a room for the night." Davela nodded.

"We have rooms available on the third floor. You can have one for 10 septims." Chirranirr reached into her bag and placed the money on the counter. Davela handed her the key. Chirranirr turned to leave but the Dark Elf stopped her. She handed Chirranirr a pile of dry clothes. "Put these on. You'll catch a cold if you don't change out of those wet ones." Chirranirr nodded.

"Thank you." She tiredly climbed the stairs, each foot feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds. Chirranirr came to her room and leaned heavily against the door as she slid the key into the slot and turned it. She entered the room and locked the door behind her. Chirranirr quickly changed out of her wet clothes and set them to dry by the fireplace. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to sleep, but as soon as her head touched the pillow she drifted off, physically and emotionally exhausted.

Chirranirr was awoken in the morning by the sunlight streaming in through the window. Chirranirr rolled over in the bed and closed her eyes tightly . It was too bright! When she had been traveling with M'Dargo, they had always done so at night. Chirranirr narrowed her eyes angrily as she thought of him. Now she knew why he had insisted on that. Although, after he had encountered the troll, he laid unconcsious out in the sun all day while she had taken care of him. Wasn't the sun suppose to be lethal to vampires? Chirranirr shook her head and got of bed. It didn't matter anymore. He wasn't a part of her life anymore. What use was looking back at the past? Chirranirr walked down to the ground floor and ordered some breakfast. She sat down at the dining area and began to eat in silence.

The proprioter of the inn took a seat opposite of her. Chirranirr looked up at her curiously, but the Dark Elf mearely shrugged.

"We don't get much business this time of year. The weather gets increasingly worse and before you know it, it's winter. So, what happened to you. You were in a pretty miserable state last night. Did you run into some trouble while on the road?" Chirranirr paused for a moment and set her fork down. She sighed heavily.

"You could say that. I was traveling with someone. I thought I could trust him, but… He proved me wrong last night."

"He assaulted you!" Davela exclaimed incredulously. Chirranirr shrugged half heartedly.

"More or less. I stopped him before it got too out of hand. He tried to apologize afterwards. Said that he didn't mean to hurt me." Davela just clucked her tongue and shook her head.

"He sounds like a piece of scum. Men should treat women with respect. Don't take any excuses from him. He was in control of his own actions and knew what he was doing." That was just the thing. Had he been in control? Chirranirr had never seen M'Dargo act like that before. It was like a switch had been flipped and he became little more than an animal. Chirranirr recalled a similar incident when they had been having dinner in an old fort. She had cut her finger. M'Dargo reacted oddly and ran off further into the fort. Now with the knowledge of his condition , had he been afraid of losing control? Why had he run off that time and pounced on her this time? Questions and questions continued to plague Chirrannirr's mind. She shook her head to free herself from their clutches. She looked back at up Davela.

"Maybe not," Chirranirr allowed. "Perhaps he had too much too drink or had gotten his hands on some skooma." Davela sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. She cocked her head to the side.

"It just sounds like you're making excuses for him." Davela was right. Chirranirr didn't even know why she was defending M'Dargo's actions to this stranger. The idea of telling the whole story; revealing that M'Dargo was a vampire had occurred to her several times throughout the conversation, but something inside her told not to do it. Her feelings mixed when she thought of M'Dargo. On the one hand she was furious with him and never wanted to see him again. On the other hand she didn't want to reveal his secret. It wasn't her's to tell.

"I suppose you're right," Chirranirr admitted reluctantly. "I need to move on." Davela smiled.

"That's the spirit. So what are your plans now?" Chirranirr resumed her meal.

"I guess I'll continue heading north to Cheydinhal."

"I'd recommend doing it as soon as possible. In a few weeks the roads are going to be in terrible condition. Say, I'm a trainer in hand-to-hand combat. How about I show you a trick or two. No charge." Chirranirr agreed and Davela pushed the tables to the side to make room and the lesson began. Davela blocked a strike from Chirranirr and countered with a swift blow to the ribs and Chirranirr was forced to retreat. "Not bad," the Dark elf admitted. "You just need to work on your form. Like this." Davela got behind Chirranirr and positioned her body the correct way. "You need to stay light on your feet. An opponent might be armed and have the advantage. If that's the case, it's important not to be hit."

The lesson continued on for another twenty minutes. By the time it ended, Chirranirr was able to dodge most of Davela's attacks. Chirranirr sat down in a chair heavily and wiped the sweat from her brow. Davela handed her a mug of ale and Chirranirr accepted wordlessly with a nod of thanks. Davela took her residence behind the bar once more.. "The key to winning any fight is to avoid getting hit by your opponent while at the same time dealing damage to him," she reminded Chirranirr. Chirranirr nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." Chirranirr went up to her room and gathered all of her things.

"Going so soon?" Davela asked as she saw Chirranirr walking down the stairs with her pack in tow. Chirranirr nodded.

"I should keep moving. The sooner I get to Cheydinhal the better."

"Be careful," Davela called after her as Chirranirr opened the door and stepped outside. Chirranirr looked over her shoulder.

"I will be. Goodbye."

The bandit glanced around at his surroundings. He didn't know what had happened. One minute he had been running from that vampire, wasting no time to get as far away as possible, and the next he was immobile on the ground. When he had come to he found that his hands and feet were bound together with thick rope.

"I see that you're awake." The Khajiit turned to the direction of that voice. A redguard sat against a tree staring at him. The bandit didn't like the way he looked at him. There was something cruel and cold in those eyes of his. His face was scarred on the right side and he had quite a collection of daggers hanging from his belt. He looked over his shoulder anc called to someone else in the forest. "That was quite a paralysis spell you used, Irbran. I think I'm actually impressed." A breton came into the clearing and sat down next to the redguard.

"He surprised me, that's all. I mean, what kind of person runs into a clearing with a fire going without announcing himself?"

"A desperate one," Karrod answered for him. Karrod walked over to the bandit and roughly lifted him to his feet with little effort. He leered down at the bandit. "Why don't you tell me where you were going in such a hurry." The bandit spat at him.

"Who the hell are you? Some kind of guard?" Karrod shook his head

"No. I work for a different organization entirely. Don't make me repeat myself." The bandit laughed.

"Why should I tell you anything." Karrod gave a small smie and drew his fist back. The bandit cried out in pain as Karrod viciously punched him in the face.

"Karrod!" Ibrarn cried out in protest. Karrod gave Irbran an irritated look as he held the dazed bandit.

"What?"

"You can't go around punching people in the face!" Karrod shrugged.

"He's not cooperating and on top of that, he's a bandit. He would fare much worse if any guards got their hands on him." Ibran pushed Karrod out of the way and the bandit fell to the ground.

"Let me handle this. You go sit over there and watch." Karrod looked like he was about to argue, but decided better on it.

"Fine," Karrod agreed with a sigh as he sat down. Ibran looke down at the bandit and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about my friend. No girl ever liked him when he was young and as a result he has become a cold and cynical man."

"Ibran…" Karrod growled warningly.

"Hey don't get mad at me just because it's true. Maybe if you tried smiling once in a while, you would have better luck with the ladies. Some may go for the silent type, but nobody goes for the depressing and sulky type, trust me." Before Karrod had a chance to reply, Ibran returned his attention to their captive. "Now," he said as he placed a hand on the bandits shoulder, "Why don't you tell me what happened to you." Ibran's hand glowed geen while he spoke, casting a charm spell on the unsuspecting bandit. The bandit's dispostion immediately brightened. The breton was so much nicer than his friend. Not to mention charming as well. The bandit felt completely at ease.

"Well, I was walking along, looking to for some travelers to hold up. I mean it's not like I have a choice," he added in the fear that Ibran wouldn't think well of him. "I've had a hard life." Ibran nodded sympatheically.

"Of course you have. Sometimes it's nobody's fault, just the way the world is." The bandit continued on.

"I came upon this Khajiit in the forest. I thought I heard him talking to somebody, but when he came into view, he was by himself. He kept his face hidden. I asked him who else was there, but he he said he was alone. He was lying. His mate was probably hiding herself nearby." The bandit paused for a moment in recollection. "I should have realized that something was wrong. He wasn't afraid of me, not even the least bit concerned. I told him to look me in the eye and he did. That's when I knew…."

"Knew what?" Ibran gently prompted. The bandit took a shuddering breath.

"That he was a vampire."

Karrod sat there looking at the bandit with an unreadable expression on his face. His fist clenched involuntarily. The bandit began to feel a little uneasy at the feelings Karrod was giving off, and Ibran decided to continue the interrogation.

"What happened next?"

"Well, I tried attacking him. Didn't work. He stopped my axe with his barehands. After that I took off running as fast as I could." Irbran patted him on the shoulder.

"Thank you for your cooperation," he said as he cast another spell and the bandit became unconcsious once more. Ibran sat down next to Karrod.

"Well," he said, "You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, Karrod." Karrod decided to ignore the gentle jab. There was something else bothering him. The presence of somebody else. Who in their right mind would travel with a vampire. Perhaps the vampire had cast a charm spell on her, or maybe she didn't know that he was a vampire. Whatever the case, it was one more reason to continue on. The second person could be in danger, or on the other hand she could provide some valuable information. Karrod stood up.

"Come on, Ibran we're going."

"What about him?" Ibran asked in regard to the unconscious bandit. Karrod took out a knife and cut through the ropes binding the bandit in two swift swipes.

"We'll leave him. We don't have time to escort him to the Guard. We have to keep moving while the trail is still fresh." Ibran frowned.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? He could be a danger to travelers " Karrod flashed a cruel smile.

"We could always kill him, I suppose…" Karrod chuckled at the terrified expression on Ibran's face.

"I'm joking, Ibran." Ibran let out a sigh of relief.

"Fine, let's go. Where are we heading?"

"The Imperial Bridge Inn is not too far from here. We might be able to gather information there."

**A/N: M'Dargo and Chirranirr have gone their separate ways for now…. Don't worry. I plan on reuniting them soon. What's a good story without a little**** turmoil and conflict? It'll turn out for the best though. Karrod is getting closer and closer to M'Dargo. That will be an interesting meeting. Review and let me know what you think. I'm open to suggestions and criticisms.**


	10. Contemplation and Resolves

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated in over a year. I'm a terrible excuse for a human being. I'll try to write more but that may even more difficult because I start my senior year of high school in a few weeks. I have been working on bits of pieces of this all these past months. Thank you everyone who reviewed! Without further adieu, here they are. **

**Reviews: Wolf-Maiden Mitsuki, Foxluvr, spike tashy, Diana**

A raven glided through the air and came to a rest upon a tree branch. It ruffled its feathers in an attempt to dry itself, flicking drops of rain everywhere. The storm had passed and the rain had stopped. The raven tilted its head toward a slight movement beneath the tree. It flew down to investigate. The raven landed upon a figure, a khajiit to be exact. The figure almost appeared as if he were a ghost. His complexion was deathly pale, and his fur was clogged with water. His eyes were closed, and he was cold to the touch. He might have even been dead. The raven cautiously moved forward and came to a stop just before the khajiit's face. His eyes suddenly opened, revealing two crimson globes. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other.

M'Dargo suddenly sat up, and this startled the raven. It flew to its branch once more and looked down at him inquiringly. M'Dargo groaned and rubbed his head tiredly.

"I thought you were a vulture for a moment, a vulture come to pick me clean. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not dead yet, not that I don't wish to be." M'Dargo got up and glanced up at the sky. It was getting lighter. Soon the sun would rise. He would have to seek out some cave or abandoned fort to hide in for the day. Should he really? The thought had often bothered him the last couple months, but now the question constantly plagued him. Wouldn't it be easier to just end it all? To wait for the sun to rise and burn him to ashes, to cleanse him of his sins and misdeeds. Especially since what he almost done to…-M'Dargo shut his eyes and clenched his fists-to Chirranirr…

He couldn't help but turn his thoughts to Chirranirr. What was she doing right now? Was she alright? Of course she was alright. She wasn't with him anymore. She was safer that way. M'Dargo had thought that he would be able to control himself. That theory had been shattered to pieces when he almost fed from her. M'Dargo let out an angry breath and swung his fist at the tree, leaving a large indent. The raven took off squawking, leaving several feathers behind to drift down lazily. M'Dargo a look at the damage he had done. He had punched almost clean through the tree. M'Dargo shook his head. Usually he was much better at controlling his own strength. It looked like self control would have to be something he would work on.

M'Dargo picked up his pack and looked north, the direction Cheydinhal lay, where Chirranirr would be heading. Then he looked to the southwest, to Elsweyr. He couldn't go to either of those places now. With a sight of regret, M'Dargo took off in a completely different direction; east. Maybe he would go all the way to Morrowind. He had heard rumors that there were vampire guilds there. Maybe they could take him in. It would be better for everyone if he just stuck with his own kind.

A strange scent suddenly came by on the wind. M'Dargo stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air several times. It was the scent of an ogre. It was close by in fact. M'Dargo took a glance at the sky and was reminded that he didn't have time to delay. The ogre would only slow him down. He would have to circle around and avoid it. Another gust of wind blew by and this time it carried more than just the scent of an ogre, it carried the sound of a scream. Several screams flowed up from the valley followed by the bellow of the ogre. M'Dargo gritted his teeth and began to turn away. He didn't have enough time; the sun would rise within half an hour. Another scream suddenly pierced the air, the scream of a child. M'Dargo's eyes widened in alarm. He clenched his fists tightly and let out a breath angrily.

"Oblivion take me! I don't know how to stop while I'm ahead." M'Dargo took off running to the source of the disturbance.

A man stood in the clearing holding a sword in front of him shakily. A wagon had been flipped over and the contents had spilled onto the forest floor. An Imperial woman cowered against a tree, hugging her two children close to her as they peered out with frightened eyes. The ogre stood about ten feet tall. Its skin was a blotchy shade of blue gray. It took a stumbling step forward. The man took a deep breath and rushed forward. He swung his sword at the ogre's arm, landing a glancing blow. The ogre let out angry cry and swung its arm out in retaliation, knocking the man back several yards where he lay senseless on the ground.

"Daddy!" cried the little girl clutching her mother's side She broke free of her mother's grasp and ran toward her father.

"Cinda! No!" The girl knelt down by her father and gently shook his shoulder.

"Daddy! You have to get up. Daddy…" The girl suddenly stood up and turned around slowly as if compelled by a sixth sense. The ogre leered down at her. A string of drool ran down its mouth. The girl was frozen to the spot in fear. Her legs began to shake and tears began to run down her cheeks. A small whimper escaped her throat as the ogre reached out with his large hand to grasp her. The young girl shut her eyes and flinched, expecting to be in the crushing grip of the ogre any second. Several long moments passed before she opened her eyes slightly. M'Dargo stood there holding the ogre's massive hand back with only one of his own. The hood of cloak was pulled over his head, shielding his face.

"I hope you mind if I cut in. I'm sure you'll find me a bit more of a challenge," M'Dargo informed the ogre before gathering his strength and forcing the ogre back several feet. If the ogre had been capable of any intelligent thought, its face might have betrayed a flicker of surprise. Cinda's eyes were so wide they looked as if they might fall out of her head. M'Dargo turned his head slightly in the direction of the girl, his hood concealing the upper half of his face. "Little one, go back to your mother."

"B-but Daddy is…"

"He'll be fine. I'll take care of this. Go." The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding and running back to her mother. M'Dargo returned his attention to the ogre.

"I'm pressed for time so we're going to have to make this quick," M'Dargo said to the ogre. The ogre responded by drawing back its other massive fist and slamming it down. M'Dargo nimbly darted out of the way, bits of earth spraying up from the impact of the fist. M'Dargo unsheathed his dagger and went straight for the ogre's leg. He put considerable force behind his strike and was satisfied to see that wound he had landed was considerably deep. The ogre roared in pain and one of its flailing limbs caught M'Dargo and knocked him to the ground. M'Dargo quickly rolled out of the way in time before he was crushed was crushed by a massive foot

He sprung to his feet and quickly unstrung his bow and readied an arrow. The ogre whirled around and began to charge. M'Dargo unleashed an arrow and it became embedded in the ogre's chest. Unfortunately, the arrow seemed to have little to have effect and did nothing to slow its approach. M'Dargo sprung out of the way, but not before the ogre reached out and grabbed him by the leg. M'Dargo twisted and struggled to free himself, but the ogre's grip was too strong. The world flipped upside down as M'Dargo dangled haphazardly from the ogre's hand. He was thrown roughly backwards and crashed through several trees, bits of wood from the impact filling the air. M'Dargo reached out and grabbed onto a thick branch to stop himself. He glanced up at the sky and swore. He had 15 minutes at the most. M'Dargo narrowed his eyes and vanished, green smoke and light appearing where he had been crouching on the branch only moments before.

The ogre stared stupidly at where M'Dargo had been moments before. The fact that its prey had simply vanished required more abstract thinking than the ogre possessed. The ogre gazed from side to side in an attempt to pinpoint him. M'Dargo suddenly appeared several feet above the ogre's head and swung his right leg down in a powerful kick that connected with the ogre's skull. If it were any other humanoid, its skull would have been crushed, but not an ogre's. The ogre however was considerably rattled and took several stumbling steps forward as its eyes rolled into the back of its head. M'Dargo landed easily on the ground and, with a swift swipe kick at the ogre's already injured leg, brought it down.

M'Dargo let out a weary sigh as he went forward and examined the ogre. It was still alive. He would be down for a while, but it would probably live. M'Dargo knelt to the ground exhausted. He wasn't going to worry about what happened when the ogre regained consciousness. M'Dargo glanced over and saw the man that had been stunned was coming to his senses and slowly getting to his feet. His children rushed over and embraced him while his wife slowly walked over to him with a smoldering look on her face, one that M'Dargo had seen on Chirranirr's several times. The husband must have also seen it before because he quickly placed a placating expression on his face.

"Now Sosia, before you say or do anything…" His wife brusquely cut him off.

"Damn it Raxle! You always have to play the god damn hero don't you!"

"Dear…" She shook her head angrily.

"Don't you 'Dear' me! You could have gotten killed! Then your children would have grown up without a father and I would grow old without my husband. Is that what you wanted?" she asked in tears. Raxle shook his head and wrapped his arms around his wife in an embrace as she collapsed into his arms.

"No," he said soothingly to her as he rubbed her back gently. "But tis better for that to happen than for none of you to live to grow older at all."

"Idiot!" she berated him as she pounded her fist into his back half heartedly. He merely chuckled softly. Seeing that the situation was under control, M'Dargo took a step to leave.

"Wait a minute! Stranger!" Raxle called after him. M'Dargo halted with his back towards the family. M'Dargo slowly turned around to face them, making sure to keep his face downward and hidden beneath the hood of his cloak. The man hesitated a moment before finding his words. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you I don't know what might have become of my family. You're a hero." M'Dargo shook his head tiredly.

"I'm no hero," he told them. "I just do the right thing as often as I can in the hope that The Nine Divine will judge me mercifully when my time comes. That's all anyone can do really."

"Still," Raxle said, "There must be some way that we can repay you. We haven't much money but-"

"I don't you need your money," M'Dargo told him. He glanced up the sky and saw that it was almost daybreak. "But if you have somewhere where I might spend the day I would be very grateful. I've been traveling for weeks and the days are growing shorter and colder. I am very weary."

"Our home is not far from here." He turned to his wife for her opinion. She shrugged.

"It's the least we can do for saving my idiot husband here."

"Then it's settled." M'Dargo went forward and helped them gather up their belongings which had been scattered about in the chaos and put them back on the wagon. Raxle walked around the clearing and attempted to peer into the forest in search of something "The horse must have run off in the confusion. Can't say that I blame him, but now how are we going to move this wagon?"

"Allow me," M'Dargo said as he got behind the wagon and began to push. The wooden wheels moaned in protest, but they soon began to roll forward and the wagon with them. Raxle whistled in admiration.

"Such strength. I always thought khajiit were more nimble and quick. You seem to posses the strength of both a nord and an orc." M'Dargo mouth trembled for a moment and formed what may have been a faint smile.

"You're correct in that respect. I just happen to be the exception." M'Dargo carefully pushed the wagon along a faint dirt path as Raxle guided the way. His wife and infant son rode on the wagon while little Cinda trailed after the wagon, smiling and skipping as young children tend to do. Cinda stared at M'Dargo curiously. She had never met anyone who was stronger than her father. He had stopped the ogre and pushed him back as easily as she could to one of her dolls. That and he had tail. The little girl couldn't stop looking at. It swayed from side to side as he walked. She walked right up to M'Dargo and grabbed his tail. M'Dargo stiffened as the cart came to a stop, his fur bristled instinctively. The tail is a sensitive area on any khajiit.

"Cinda!" her mother chastised her "Let go of his tail this instant! It's not nice to just grab someone." Cinda immediately let go of the tail as if it burned her fingers and ran to the other side of the cart. Sosia looked down at M'Dargo.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized. M'Dargo shrugged as he resumed pushing the cart once more.

"It's quite alright. She is still just a cub. She was only curious." They finally came to the family's home. It was in the middle of a small clearing. The house itself was small and worn, but not dilapidated. Obvious care had been taken to maintain it, which could be seen from the patchwork of repairs. The repairs themselves might not have been uniform, different materials had been used as time went on, but it was obviously lived in and loved. M'Dargo pushed the cart past the house and to a makeshift barn and work area. He glanced up anxiously as the sun began to creep above the horizon. He had only a matter of seconds left. It would be quite a shock to the family, suddenly bursting into flames and collapsing into a pile of ash. "I don't mean to be rude," M'Dargo said as he tried to veil the steadily growing panic in his voice, "but I am very tired after my long journey. Might you be so kind to show me inside?" Raxle looked up at him from his position unloading the cart. He nodded.

"Sure thing." He turned to his wife. "Sosia, could you turn show our guest into our home?" Sosia shook her head in irritation.

"_Our _home he says. More like my home. What he does ever do around here? I'm the one that takes care of it while he goes out working." She hoisted up her son and grabbed Cinda with her free hand as she walked over to the door and opened it carefully. She turned to M'Dargo. "Please to do come inside." M'Dargo all but bounded inside, clearly startling the women with his enthusiasm, but he didn't care. M'Dargo made it inside just as the sun's rays climbed up the doorway. He bit his tongue as the tip of his tail was scorched by the sun's harsh light. He quickly darted away from the doorway and pressed himself against the wall, his heart pounding fiercely. He didn't relax until Sosia had entered the house with her two children and shut the door behind her. M'Dargo let out a sigh of relief. Sosia released Cinda's hand and her daughter immediately ran off to the other side of her house to grab one of her dolls. Sosia looked at him curiously.

"Why are you skulking in the shadows like that?" M'Dargo shrugged.

"My eyes… are sensitive. That's all. I've been traveling by night in order to avoid trouble and the light is too bright." Sosia seemed to accept this. She pulled out a blanket, laid it out flat on the floor, and set her son down on it. "Well I'm glad you happened to be traveling nearby when you were. Raxle had bitten off more than he could chew, again, and I was sure that this time he wouldn't have been able to wiggle his way out of it." Sosia stood up and went over to the kitchen and kindled a fire underneath the kettle.

"What were you doing out so late?" M'Dargo asked as she began to stir the pot carefully with a ladle. She added a few spices and took a small sip before replying.

"We went into town to do some trading. You know, pick up the odds and ends that we can't get living out here in the middle of nowhere. I told Raxle that we should have waited until morning, but he wouldn't hear any of it." The door opened and M'Dargo tensed as a narrow beam of sunlight entered the room, but fortunately didn't touch him. "Isn't that right?" Sosia asked her husband as he walked through the door and closed it behind him. "Too cheap to pay for an inn." Raxle raised his hands in defense.

"Now dear, if I had known that we would have bumped into an ogre, do you think I would set off once were done trading?" Sosia turned away and stirred the contents of the kettle vigorously.

"If it would have saved you a few Septims, I'm sure you still would have." Raxle grimaced.

"No amount of money is worth going up against an ogre. I'll tell you that much now." Raxle suddenly noticed M'Dargo who had been sitting silently in the corner. "Sosia, I hope you haven't been neglecting our guest."

"I haven't been neglecting anyone." She turned to her daughter who was idly playing with her doll, moving it about and talking to it. "Cinda dear." Cinda looked up from her playing.

"Yes Mama?"

"Get the out the dishes and set the table for breakfast." Cinda nodded and skipped over to the kitchen. Sosia turned to M'Dargo once more. "I hope you don't mind stew. I had some stored away and honestly I'm too tired to cook anything else." M'Dargo shook his head.

"No. It's fine." Raxle pulled up a chair at the table and took his boots off, letting out a sigh of relief as he set them aside. M'Dargo took a seat beside him.

"Why don't you take your cloak off?" Raxle asked. "I can barely see your face." M'Dargo gripped the hood of his cloak tightly, his claws digging into the fabric. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

"A few months ago… there was an accident. My face became horribly disfigured. I would prefer if you didn't see." Raxle nodded sympathetically.

"I understand. I wouldn't want to force you to anything that made you uncomfortable; after all, I do owe you my life."

"That's a debt that I have no intention on collecting," M'Dargo told him. Raxle laughed.

"Good, because my wife has first claim on it; until death do we part."

"Yes, and that nearly happened today, didn't it?" Sosia said as she set down bowls full of stew in front of M'Dargo and Raxle before helping Cinda and her son into their seats. Raxle sighed as he picked up his spoon and took a mouthful of the stew.

"Yes," he admitted, "I suppose it did. I can't tell you how terrified I felt. I mean, sure, it was an ogre and they're certainly not a creature to get into a fight with, but the thing that made the fear worse was that you and the children were there." Sosia paused for a moment as she placed Cinda's meal in front of her, who eagerly dug in. "A man may fear for his life," Raxle continued, "but losing his family and those that he cares about and loves, is an even greater fear." M'Dargo stared down at his stew and couldn't help but think of Chirranirr. A dull ache throbbed within his chest. He had lost everyone he had known when he became a vampire. By some incomprehensible odds he was able to meet someone like Chirranirr only to lose her just like everyone else.

"Idiot," Sosia scoffed as she served herself and sat down on Raxle's right. "Spouting flowery words just because you nearly died. You never said anything like that while we were courting." But nether the less, her words held no barb and she kissed him on the cheek before sitting down. M'Dargo slowly stirred the contents of the stew, bits of meat and carrots before raising the spoon to his lips. It was good. It was hot and filled his stomach. Frankly M'Dargo was so hungry that almost anything would taste good to him. They ate their meal in relative silence, the ordeal had exhausted the small family and they focused only on eating. Sosia leaned across the table occasionally and cleaned her children's faces and scolded them for slurping their food.

"You're awfully quiet," Raxle finally remarked to M'Dargo. M'Dargo shrugged.

"I am sorry. I'm not much of a talker." Raxle dipped his spoon into his bowl and swallowed another mouthful of stew.

"That's fine," he told M'Dargo. "Could you least tell us your name?" M'Dargo paused. Should he lie? Would it be dangerous to give them his real name? Should he make one up? In the end he decided that he wanted to avoid deceiving this family as much as he could.

"M'Dargo. My name is M'Dargo."

"M'Dargo." Raxle sounded the name out, getting a feel for the sound of it.

"And what is it that you do, M'Dargo?" Sosia asked leaning across the table curiously.

"For the love of Akatosh woman! Didn't he just say that he didn't want to talk?" Sosia glared at her husband.

"You shush. We hardly ever get any visitors and I'm curious. Who knows the next time we'll have a visitor?" She returned her attention to M'Dargo and smiled. "Of course you don't have to answer if you don't want to. You saved my idiot husband and I suppose I can hold my tongue if you decide to hold yours." M'Dargo shook his head slightly.

"It's fine I suppose. Back in Elsywer I worked with my family harvesting moon sugar to make into skooma. A few months ago…" M'Dargo hesitated and took a deep breath. "I decided to do some traveling. I headed northwest and eventually crossed into Cyrodiil. I've been traveling ever since."

"It must get lonely traveling alone," Sosia remarked as she got up to refill Raxle and M'Dargo's bowls with stew. M'Dargo nodded.

"Yes. Traveling alone can be very lonely. It's just you and the sky above you and the ground beneath you. Very lonely."

"Do you miss your family?" Sosia asked as she sat back down. M'Dargo gripped his spoon tightly and left a small dent on the metal handle.

"Terribly, but I cannot return yet. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

"What happened? Did you get into a disagreement?" M'Dargo opened his mouth for a moment but no words came out. He shook his head for a moment as if he had water in his ear and then ate another mouthful of stew.

"I'd rather not say. I thought it would be best for everyone if I left, and so that's exactly what I did."

"So you've been traveling in a foreign land all this time by yourself? I'm not sure that I'd have the tenacity for that kind of venture."

"I wasn't exactly by myself the whole time," M'Dargo replied. "I did travel with someone else for a while."

"Oh?" Sosia said with piqued interest as she collected the children's bowls. "Who?"

"Her name was Chirranirr," M'Dargo said. Just saying her name left a dull aching sensation deep inside him. "She was a khajiit like me, although she told me she was born here in Cyrodiil."

"Ah!" Raxle said leaning back in his chair. He grinned at M'Dargo. "Traveling with a lady friend eh?" M'Dargo was glad that he had his hood to conceal his face otherwise Raxle would have seen it flush slightly.

"No. It wasn't anything like that. We just met and decided it would be safer to travel together rather than by ourselves."

"And what was she like?" asked Sosia as she sat back down. "This Chirranirr?" M'Dargo let out a sigh. Describing Chirranirr was like describing a thunderstorm. You could try to impart the wind, the sound, the smell, the color with words, but it just didn't compare to the actual thing. It was indescribable; the static in the air, the pounding heart, the ringing ears. Just like Chirranirr.

"She's… I don't know how to describe it. She's like a fire. She can warm you or light up any room, and at the same time she isn't to be taken lightly."

"Well that last part applies to all women," Raxle replied. This earned a severe glance from his wife."

"A philosophy you seem to forget quite often, dear." Sosia admonished him. She turned her attention to M'Dargo.

"And where is this Chirranirr now?" M'Dargo had been in the process of lifting another spoonful of stew to his mouth. He stopped at the question. He looked down at the contents of his spoon and very slowly and carefully set the spoon down on the table. His appetite had fled him.

"I don't know. I did… something very stupid and foolish. I wasn't honest with her. That deception reared its ugly head not too long ago. She left, or rather I left. I was too ashamed to stay." The room became quiet; the only sound was Cinda as she sang a song under her breath. M'Dargo continued to keep his head down; his eyes followed the swirling pattern of the wood grain of the table. Sosia suddenly spoke.

"Do you regret what you've done?" she asked M'Dargo quietly as she began to clear the table.

"Yes."

"Do you care about her?" M'Dargo gritted his teeth as swirl of emotions rose in his chest.

"More than anything."

"Well then I don't think you should give up just yet," Sosia said as she sat down. M'Dargo raised his head in surprise. Raxle nodded in agreement.

"She's right. I can't count how many times Sosia's managed to forgive me for my foolishness and mistakes, today not withstanding. If you love her you have to let her know."

"I never said I loved her," M'Dargo responded. Raxle raised an eye and crossed his arms.

"Do you not love her then?" he asked with a tilt of his head. As M'Dargo remained silent, Raxle's smug grin grew wider and wider.

"You don't know what I've done though. She won't be able to forgive me," M'Dargo muttered with resigned finality.

"Does it have anything to do with why you left your family?" Sosia asked. M'Dargo flinched involuntarily, his tail swishing from side to side once. He gave the slightest hint of a nod.

"I doubt that they'll be able to forgive me either. Everywhere I go I bring nothing but trouble and pain."

"Now that's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard!" exclaimed Raxle. Sosia glared daggers at her husband.

"Raxle! Not in front of the children!" Raxle waved off with his wife's complaint and turned his attention back to M'Dargo.

"If it weren't for you, my little Cinda wouldn't be sitting here with us, and I doubt I would be either." M'Dargo shook his head wearily.

"I just did what I could. It's foolish of me to think that doing good would erase the things I've done." Raxle was quiet for a moment.

"No, it doesn't," he said finally. "But that's no reason to stop either, is it? We make mistakes in life. We do things that we regret. We cannot change the things we've done. We can only use them as a guide for our future actions. If you regret something, make sure that it never happens again. Understand?" M'Dargo lifted his head.

"I think so."

"Are you going to look for her?" Sosia asked.

"I don't know," M'Dargo replied honestly. "It would probably be for the best if I didn't see her again.

"Best for who?"

"Her. Before I was just being selfish. She deserves better." Raxle frowned.

"Now don't go deciding all of this on your own. Perhaps she'll feel differently once she's had a chance to cool down."

"Perhaps," M'Dargo said faintly and half heartedly. "I'm quite tired. Do you have a place where I might rest?"

"Of course." Sosia rose and led M'Dargo out of the kitchen. "I think we have a spare cot somewhere around here. Ah! Here it is." Sosia took it out and positioned it in the corner of the living area. "I'll go see if we have a spare blanket." M'Dargo shook his head as he sat down on it.

"No, it's fine. I don't want to impose on you hospitality any more than I already have. Besides, sleeping indoors is a treat enough for me as it is."

"Are you sure? It's no trouble." M'Dargo shook his head as he sat down wearily on the small cot.

"I'm sure." Sosia shrugged.

"Suit yourself." A loud crash was suddenly heard from the kitchen followed by a bombardment of swearing.

"Sosia dear!" Raxle called from the kitchen. "Where do the plates go? Also, where's the brush and dustpan?" Sosia rolled her eyes.

"Damned fool is about as nimble as a bloated cow!" She smiled apologetically at M'Dargo for a moment. "Excuse me," and with that she walked quickly back into the kitchen. M'Dargo shook his head gently and smiled. The two of them seemed happy. They had each other, a fine home, and two cubs. They lived normal lives. Was this what he was missing out on? Would he ever have any sense of normalcy like this? M'Dargo sensed a gaze and looked up. Cinda eyes immediately widened and she quickly hid behind a chair. After a moment she cautiously raised her head and peered out at him. M'Dargo took a weary breath and attempted to smile.

"Come on out little one. I won't hurt you." Cinda slowly cautiously came out from behind the chair. She glanced up at him nervously before looking down at her feet.

"Thank you for saving me and Daddy."

"It was lucky I got there when I did."

"I'm sorry I pulled your tail." M'Dargo flicked his tail several times.

"It's alright. You didn't hurt it." Cinda nodded and sat down on the floor. She looked up at M'Dargo expectantly.

"Do you know any stories?" M'Dargo gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm not much of story teller. My brother though, he could weave a tale as easy as breathing.

"Not even one story?" Cinda pleaded. M'Dargo paused for a moment.

"Well," he said, "I suppose I do know one story. It's not a happy story though. Are you sure you want to hear it?" Cinda nodded with a solemnity that only children are able to muster.

"Yes please."

"Alright. There once was a khajiit who lived in the distant land of Elsweyr. He was happy there. He had a good home and a family who loved him. He would spend his days traveling through the dusty deserts or exploring the jungles to the south. Well one day, this khajiit went on an expedition with his father and some others to harvest moon sugar. At first everything seemed to be going fine. They had gathered much moon sugar and would be able to make a lot of skooma out of it. But something horrible happened on their way home. They were attacked by several horrible monsters. They killed many members of the expedition, including the khajiit's father. This khajiit was able to escape from them with only a bite wound to the shoulder. However, the worse was yet to come…" M'Dargo suddenly stopped in contemplation. Cinda stirred him from his reverie.

"What happened?"

"Well little one, the khajiit felt normal at first. For the first few days he only felt a little tired. During his escape that night he had gotten turned around and lost. He was trying to make his way home. However something happened on the third day after the attack. He went to sleep normally that night, but his dreams were soon plagued with horrendous nightmares. When he awoke he discovered that he had become one of the horrible monsters that had killed his father." Cinda stared up at M'Dargo with wide eyes as she tried to imagine something so terrible. She couldn't.

"What did he do?"

"The khajiit fled. He ran as far away and as he quickly as he could in fear that he would harm his family or those he knew. For months he traveled alone, avoiding the sun which he soon discovered was lethal to his kind. One day he met another khajiit who took refuge from the rain in a cave. She wasn't afraid of him and didn't run away from him. The two of them decided to travel together. During their journey, the khajiit realized that he was falling in love with her. However, he was too afraid to tell her what he was. Well one day this other khajiit accidentally cut herself with a thorn. At the smell of blood, the monster within the khajiit rose up and attacked her. She fought him off and the khajiit regained control of himself. When he saw the terrible look in her eyes: fear, betrayal, pain, and revulsion, the khajiit fled and ran as far way as he could. I don't know what happened to the khajiit after that."

"What kind of ending is that?" exclaimed Cinda. "He should do find three magic things for a wizard and have his curse broken. Then they can live happily ever after." M'Dargo sighed.

"It would be nice if such a thing happened. Your ending does sound much better than mine."

"Cinda!" her mother called from the kitchen. "What have I told you about leaving your dolls lying around? Put them away right this minute!"

"Coming Mama!" Cinda called as she ran out of the room. She paused at the doorway and gave M'Dargo a brief glance before exiting the room. M'Dargo sighed and put his hand to his head. Was it a good idea to tell her something so dangerously close to the truth? Hopefully she would only take it as a story. M'Dargo lay down on his side and made sure that the hood of his cloak was securely covering his face. He thought of Chirranirr. He thought of his father. He thought of what Cinda had said, a wizard breaking the curse. Was such a thing even possible? Could one go back from what he had become? M'Dargo closed his eyes and eventually sleep over took him.

When M'Dargo awoke it was night. He slowly sat up and looked around. He could sense the presence of the little family. They were tucked away in their beds, asleep. M'Dargo wearily got to his feet and grabbed his pack. He walked to the kitchen and came to a stop in front of the table. He reached into his pack and dug around for something. He pulled out 20 gold Septims and placed them lightly on the table, careful to not make a sound. M'Dargo then made his way to the door, opened it, and shut it behind him.

* * *

Irbran opened the door of the inn and stepped inside. He took a whiff, savoring the delicious smells that issued from the kitchen. Karrod placed his hand on Irbran's shoulder.

"Don't forget the reason we're here," he said softly. "We're here to gather information, not stuff our faces."

"Why can't we do both?"

"Because you lack the discipline to do both."

"Come on Karrod!" Irbran pleaded as they walked further into the inn. "We've been traveling for weeks now, and your cooking is barely edible." Karrod held up a hand.

"Fine, no alcohol then. I want you to keep your wits about you."

"Yes mother!" Irbran huffed. The two of them approached the proprietor of the inn who stood behind the bar. She looked up at them.

"I'm Davela, proprietor. Can I get you two something?" Irbran took a step forward and grinned.

"All I require is but a bottle of your essence so that whenever I doubt that there is true beauty in this world I can- Ow!" Karrod unceremoniously stomped on Irbran's foot. Hard. The dark elf regarded him quizzically. Irbran bit his lip hard before continuing. "What I mean to say before I was captivated by your lovely features was that my companion and I would like to order two meals."

"Alright then. That'll be five Septims." A little while later Irbran was eagerly digging into a piece of chicken while Karrod in comparison ate slower and with more reserve. Irbran turned to Davela and began to talk, but remembered that he still had food in his mouth. He took a moment to swallow before beginning.

"This is delicious! Did you make it yourself?" Davela just smiled.

"Yes I did. During this time of the year we don't get much business here, so I'll do anything to keep busy."

"That's a shame," Karrod said finally speaking up, "because I was wondering if you could help us." Davela narrowed her eyes and walked over to their table.

"How so?" she asked.

"We're looking for somebody," Karrod said quietly.

"Are you two bounty hunters?" Irbran snorted.

"We're nothing as crude as that."

"Then why is your friend armed to the teeth?" Davela asked the breton. Karrod pushed his chair out from the table and stood up so he could face Davela. He was a good head taller than her.

"We belong to a Guild that hunts down extremely dangerous individuals."

"Extremely dangerous in what way?"

"Well," Karrod began, "we hunt those that kill and those that harm. I'm going to be frank with you. We hunt vampires." The dinning area, which had only the three of them inside it, went completely quiet. After a few long, silent moments, Davela found her voice.

"V-Vampires?" she asked shakily. Karrod nodded.

"Yes. We have reason to believe that one is in the area, heading north. We intend to stop it. Have you heard anything that may be of help to us?" The dark elf slowly sat down and shook her head in astonishment.

"Vampires here?" she said talking to herself. "You always hear about them being somewhere else, never where you live." She looked up at Karrod. "I'm sorry. I don't think I know anything that could help you.

"Are you sure?" asked Karrod peering into her face, looking for the slightest sign that she was lying. "This particular vampire is a khajiit and is most likely traveling with someone else." Davela blinked and glanced away briefly. Karrod gave a small inward grin. She did know something.

"A khajiit you say?" Karrod nodded.

"Vampires are extremely dangerous. Anything that you know would be a great help."

"I'm not sure if I should be telling you this," Davela said while wringing her hands anxiously.

"Please," Irbran implored, "anything you might know could help save lives." Davela seemed to hesitate for one more moment before nodding.

"I suppose you're right. Last night a khajiit came here looking for lodging. She was absolutely soaked and her clothes were torn."

"She?" asked Karrod curiously. The bandits he had spoken to had all spoken of a male khajiit. Could this be the possible companion? Davela nodded.

"Yes. When I spoke to her in the morning she said that her traveling companion had attacked her, had tried to force himself on her. You don't think he was a vampire, do you?" Karrod's thoughts ran at a rapid pace; finally, a decent lead to follow. Now it was understandable why a vampire would travel with someone else, to have a body to feed on and someone to take care of tasks during the daylight hours. But was this the first time he had tried to feed from her? How long had they been traveling together? How had she fought him off? Was she infected? Would he return to reclaim her? There were too many variables. Karrod turned to Davela.

"I think that there's a strong chance that he is. What more can you tell me about this patron of yours?"

"She left this morning. She said she was heading to Cheydinhal." Irbran turned to Karrod.

"This morning? If we move quickly we could still catch up to her." Karrod nodded.

"My thoughts exactly. Let's move." He turned to Davela. "Thank you for your help. It's much appreciated." Karrod then rushed out the door, Irbran running to catch up to him.

"You are an angel that has lighted our path!" Irbran called out as the door swung shut behind him. Davela was silent for a moment before going to stand behind the bar once more. Had she really done the right thing?

* * *

Chirranirr poked the ember absent mindedly as she added another branch to the fire. Sparks leapt and smoke rose lazily into the already dark sky. She had chosen a spot someway off the road, deciding to finally adopt a normal pattern of traveling, traveling during the day and resting at night. She wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself as a cold breeze blew by, causing the flames to flicker and dance. Earlier she had taken out her needle and thread, fully intending to repair the collar that M'Dargo had torn. She hadn't though. When she looked at the ruined piece of clothing, a knot formed in her throat and she felt a painful sensation in her chest. She had put the shirt away. She couldn't stand to look at it, but neither could she throw it away. It was evidence, proof. It proved that M'Dargo had been with her, and proved what he was.

An owl hooted nearby, and Chirranirr heard the small squeak of a rodent's life being snuffed out. She wondered where M'Dargo had gone to. As painful as it was thinking of him, she couldn't help it. It was like a scab. You know you shouldn't pick at it, but a strange fascination compelled you to do so anyway. And like a scab, Chirranirr wondered if she would ever stop thinking about M'Dargo and let the wound be to heal. It was strange. She felt angry, hurt, used, but at the same time she also felt terribly lonely and sad. If M'Dargo were to walk into her campsite right now she didn't whether she would hit him or embrace him.

A shift in the wind suddenly brought a scent to her sensitive nose: two men, slowly coming closer to her. Chirranirr quickly extinguished her campfire and gathered her belongings. She nimbly climbed a nearby tree and found a branch sturdy enough to support her weight. She lay down prone on the branch and carefully held tight with her claws. She then peered down at the campsite, her night vision allowing her to see just as easily if it were daylight. Two men entered from the brush, a redguard and a breton. The breton seemed out of breath and was pulling thorns out of his hands, letting out sounds of pain as each thorn was removed.

"Quiet!" the redguard said to his companion. "She probably heard your moaning and took off already."

"Not all of us wear gauntlets you know Karrod! My hands are all torn up!" _She? _wondered Chirranirr. Who were they looking for? Karrod knelt down by the fire pit and cautiously touched the coals with his hands. He quickly withdrew his hand and turned to his friend.

"The coals are still warm Irbran. She can't have gotten far."

"Well thank the Nine for that!" Irbran said as he sat down wearily. He looked up at Karrod.

"What are we going to do when we find her? She might know even less than we do." Karrod shook his head irritably.

"Well cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now this khajiit is our only lead." A feeling unease ran down Chirranirr's spine and made her fur stand on the end. She was beginning to get the sinking feeling that the two of them were speaking of her. Chirranirr unconsciously increased her grip on the branch, not noticing how the wood groaned and splintered slightly.

"Do you'll think she'll cooperate once we find her?" Irbran asked as Karrod went about the campsite searching for more clues.

"Hard to know," Karrod muttered under his breath as he noticed faint indentations on the earthy ground; footprints. They led him to the base of Chirranirr's tree. Chirranirr shut her eyes tight and held her breath as she tried to quiet the ruckus her beating heart was making against her ribcage. It seemed like an eternity before she heard Karrod walking back to Irbran. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Irbran, hand me a torch." Chirranirr's eyes snapped open and her grip tightened even harder. Unfortunately that was all the stress that the tree branch could handle. Chirranirr looked down with dread as a wide crack spreading across the wood like an iceberg cracking. Irbran had just lighted a torch and handed it to Karrod when Chirranirr fell to the ground in a heap and with a loud crash. Irbran looked up and Karrod shot to his feet.

"Well," Irbran said, "it looks like we got the cat out of the tree."

**A/N: Is it just me, or do I have a habit of introducing my characters to each other by having them fall out of something? Anyway, I'm glad that I've finally gotten to the point where Karrod encounters Chirranirr. It's only a matter of time before he finds M'Dargo and then… things will get very interesting. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


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